Although analysts had assured that Ian Nepomniachtchi wasn't afraid of going head-to-head with Magnus Carlsen in the chess world championship, it was not apparent in his performance. The Russian challenger wrapped up a historic collapse Friday in their match in Dubai, helping Carlsen to again win the title. Carlsen clinched with his fourth victory among 11 games played in their match, the Guardian reports. The final score was 7½-3½; the last three games weren't needed. "I didn't expect it go quite like this," Carlsen, of Norway, said afterward. "I have lost some stupid games," Nepomniachtchi said, "but never so many in such a short time."
A world championship match has not been so one-sided in 100 years, when José Raúl Capablanca beat Emanuel Lasker in Havana without dropping a game. Carlsen equaled that, winning the last four out of six after the first five games ended in draws. His last three victories were mostly attributable to simple mistakes by the challenger, per the New York Times, that amounted to unforced errors. The match turned on the 136-move Game 6, which ran 7 hours, 45 minutes, making it the longest game in world championship history. The game was taxing on both players but appeared to affect Nepomniachtchi more.
"That sort of laid the foundation," Carlsen said. The match reaffirmed his place atop chess; he's been world champion for eight years now. Carlsen collected $1.2 million Friday and Nepomniachtchi $800,000. The defending champion was subdued in victory. "It is hard to feel that great joy when the situation was so comfortable to begin with," Carlsen said. Asked if this experience would help him next time, Nepomniachtchi said he hoped so, though he noted, "Experience is never easy." (More Magnus Carlsen stories.)
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