Written by By Staff Writer
CNN
Magnus Carlsen has trounced the challenge of Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin to claim his third world title and remain the king of chess at the intersection of serious problem solving and the digital age.
Carlsen, world number one player, has notched up a 8.5-7.5 victory over Karjakin in Israel to become the world’s number one chess player for the second time in his career.
In a thriller that went right until the final point, Chess News reported that the championship included 30 games of rapid chess, which are a form of short but intense chess played in three minutes each. Carlsen, 28, has an overall record of 18.5 wins, six draws and four losses.
Carlsen topped the standings before the four-week event with a 6.5-4.5 win-loss-draw record.
At the start of the match Carlsen was considered an unlikely victor against his Russian challenger, 33, who enjoys a reputation as a super chessplayer.
“I tried to control the tempo and the attacks,” Carlsen said after the final game in Tel Aviv. “I went into the game knowing that there would be changes at the end. It all came together, and it was not a perfect match. It was an entertaining game.”
Magnus Carlsen wins the championship on his 22nd birthday by defeating Sergey Karjakin, his Russian challenger, with an 8.5-7.5 result. Credit: Yehuda Blumenfeld
Karjakin, the player third in the ranking, has largely been regarded as the underdog.
Carlsen won his first world title in 2013 after a three-month run against GM Fabiano Caruana.