Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen defends chess world championship title

Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen defended his chess world championship title by beating American challenger Fabiano Caruana 3-0 in rapid tiebreaker games on Wednesday.

After their three-week match ended in 12 draws, Carlsen wrapped up the victory quickly with three straight wins to build an unassailable lead in the best-of-four rapid format, AP reports.

It’s the third time Carlsen has successfully defended his title after winning it from Viswanathan Anand of India in 2013. By dominating the tiebreakers, the Norwegian justified his decision to offer a draw in the 12th classical game on Monday despite having a superior position — refusing to take the risk of going for a win and staking his title on his ability to outplay Caruana in speed chess. That draw offer had been harshly criticized by other top grandmasters, but Carlsen said he had no regrets.

Carlsen also won several million dollars.

Magnus Carlsen

Fabiano Caruana

Viswanathan Anand

chess world championship

chess world championship title

chess world champion