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 number one 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 November 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 (S$1.61 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 number one. He won the Candidates Tournament in 2013 to earn the right to challenge Anand.
