MOSCOW: Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen retained his title as World Chess Champion on Sunday, defeating rival Viswanathan Anand for the second year in a row.
The 23-year-old world No. 1 beat India's Anand, title-holder of the championship from 2007 to 2013 when he was dethroned by Carlsen, in two of 11 games of the competition, with the others ending in draws.
"I am very happy," Carlsen was quoted as saying by Russian press agency TASS. "It was a very difficult match, much more difficult than last year."
"Anand is a very strong chess player, but he had practically no chance of winning."
Carlsen had been playing since Nov. 8 against Anand, who is nearly 20 years his senior, in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.
The victory, secured with a difference of just two points, will mean one million euros ($1.2 million) in prize money for Carlsen just a week before his 24th birthday.
"Overall, throughout the match, Carlsen played better than I did," Anand was quoted as saying by TASS.
"I tried, but the risk didn't work out. Carlsen didn't make a mistake. I had nothing left to do but take risks."
Carlsen turned grandmaster at 13 and in 2010, aged only 19, became the youngest player in history to be ranked world No. 1. He won the Candidates Tournament in 2013 to earn the right to challenge Anand.
His breakthrough in chess came in 2004, when as a 13-year-old he defeated Russian former world champion Anatoly Karpov, forced Russian legend Garry Kasparov to a draw, and became a grandmaster.
Before Carlsen captured the championship crown in 2013, the last Westerner to hold the title was American legend Bobby Fischer who relinquished it in 1975.
Carlsen missed by a few weeks becoming the youngest world champion, a record set by his one-time coach Kasparov in 1985.
Introduced to chess by his father, Carlsen showed signs of genius as a toddler.
At the age of two, Carlsen knew by heart all the major car brands and later memorised the long list of Norway's municipalities, with their flags and administrative centres.
Sibling rivalry with one of his older sisters sparked his interest in chess, which soon led to his first competition at the age of eight.
Carlsen has been hailed by Kasparov as a Harry Potter-type "super-talent".
A fashion model in his spare time, he made it to the Time magazine list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013.
Anand, who remains one of the most popular sports figures in cricket-mad India, and his opponent enjoyed a remarkably similar rise in their careers since they were talented teenagers.
Anand, 44, became an international master at 15, was crowned Indian champion at 16, won the world junior title at 17 and became the country's first grandmaster at 18.
His longevity and perseverance — he won his first world title in 2000 — has often been compared with that of cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar, the world's batting record-holder.
The soft-spoken family man, who lives in Spain with wife Aruna and three-year-old son Akhil, is far removed from his temperamental predecessors like Bobby Fischer, Boris Spassky, Anatoly Karpov and Kasparov.
Norwegian prodigy Carlsen retains World Chess championship
Norwegian prodigy Carlsen retains World Chess championship
Timber header earns Arsenal crucial win over Chelsea
- Arsenal moved to 64 points from 29 games with sole chasers Manchester City, who have played a game fewer, on 59
LONDON: Arsenal maintained control of the Premier League title race as they chiselled out a nervy 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table on Sunday.
Jurrien Timber’s 66th-minute header from a Declan Rice corner ensured Arsenal took three precious points but it was an afternoon of nerves in north London.
It was far from pretty but Mikel Arteta’s side, and the fans who squirmed through the closing minutes, will not care about that as a first title since 2004 edged a little closer.
Arsenal moved to 64 points from 29 games with sole chasers Manchester City, who have played a game fewer, on 59.
Defender William Saliba had given Arsenal the lead in the 21st minute from a trademark corner routine.
But it had looked as though an own goal by Piero Hincapie just before halftime would prove costly for the hosts until Timber came to their rescue.
Chelsea, whose six-match unbeaten league sequence under new manager Liam Rosenior was halted, ended the match with 10 men after Pedro Neto was sent off for a second yellow card.
Arsenal fans will hope that the remaining nine games of the Premier League run-in are less fraught than this one.
CORNER KINGS
It was not a fluent showing as they extended their unbeaten league run against Chelsea to nine games and they had to resort to the tactic that has served them so well this season.
With both their goals coming from corners, Arsenal have now scored 16 times from that route this season in the Premier League, the joint-most by any side in a single campaign.
They were given a taste of their own medicine though with Hincapie’s own goal also coming from a corner.
There were puffed cheeks aplenty too as the referee blew the final whistle after a period of stoppage time that Arsenal spent hanging on against Chelsea’s 10 men.
Last weekend’s drubbing of north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur had eased the mounting pressure after Arsenal’s form had begun to waver in recent weeks.
Sixth-placed Chelsea proved a far sterner test though as they sought to boost their hopes of a top-five finish.
Arsenal got ahead when captain Bukayo Saka’s deep corner was headed back across goal by Gabriel and fellow defender Saliba nodded goalwards with the ball going in off Chelsea’s Mamadou Sarr, although Saliba was credited with the goal.
They looked in control for much of the first half but wobbled before halftime as they fell foul of Chelsea’s own set-piece acumen.
Arsenal keeper David Raya had just made a reflex save to keep out a header by Jorrel Hato but from an almost identical corner swung in by Reece James he was helpless as the ball skimmed off the head of Hincapie and into the net.
The nerves really began to fray in the second half as Chelsea looked the more threatening side with Enzo Fernandez forcing Raya to turn his low shot around the post and then Joao Pedro heading the resulting corner straight at him.
When Rice’s corner left Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez floundering, Timber was there to restore Arsenal’s lead.
Neto was booked for dissent in the aftermath and three minutes later got himself sent off for a foul on Gabriel Martinelli. Yet Chelsea ended strongly and substitute Alejandro Garnacho almost snatched a point with his cross being clawed out by Raya before Liam Delap poked in from close range but Arsenal were saved by an offside flag.
