2021 World Chess Championship:
GM Magnus Carlsen

GM Magnus Carlsen confirmed his long-held place as the best chess player on the planet on Friday by retaining the world championship with a fourth win over Ian Nepomniachtchi in the 11th encounter of their showdown in Dubai.

Iran PressMiddle East: A tightly wound contest that appeared bound for a draw immediately came undone when the Russian challenger made a ghastly blunder that gifted Carlsen the game and match, punctuating a dramatic breakdown that started a week ago when Nepomniachtchi came up short in the sixth game, a psychologically taxing 7hr 45min epic.

Carlsen’s winning score of 7½-3½ with three games to spare is the most lopsided result in a world championship match since José Raúl Capablanca’s triumph over Emanuel Lasker exactly 100 years ago in Havana. In that match, Capablanca won by a four-game margin without a single defeat – a stunning margin Carlsen matched on Friday with a fourth decisive result in six games after their first five meetings ended in draws.

“It’s hard to feel that great joy when the situation was so comfortable to begin with, but I’m happy with a very good performance overall,” said Carlsen. “You can point to things you could have done differently in every game of course, but overall I’m happy with my play, very proud of my effort in the sixth game, and that sort of laid the foundation for everything.”

The 2021 FIDE World Chess Championship took place November 24-December 12, 2021, alongside the World Expo in Dubai, UAE.

216

Read more:

Carlsen wins longest game in World Chess Championship history