Chennai, November 22
Five-time title-holder Viswanathan Anand's reign as the world champion came to a heart-breaking end today with Norway's Magnus Carlsen taking the crown after a hard-fought draw in the 10th game of the World Chess Championship match, which ended here today.

Carlsen, who will be 23 years on 30th November, closed the championship with two games to spare by taking his tally to required 6.5 points out of a possible ten, winning three and drawing seven games.

In what could be marked as the dawn of a new era in the chess world, Carlsen showed stellar effort yet again by not going for a tame draw when one was enough for him to take the title home.

Instead, the Norwegian made Anand suffer for a long and gruelling four hours and forty five minutes before the Indian could heave a sigh of relief in what was the most one-sided world championship match in modern history. Anand had won the world championship title five times —2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 -- but ironically was dethroned in his home town of Chennai. In a dubious first, this was the only time that Anand failed to win a single game in a world championship match.

Starting with his journey in 1991, Anand had always scored at least one victory in each of the match that he played in the last 22 years.

Carlsen, was in his elements right through the tenth game getting what he wanted out of the opening and then pursuing on his favourite mission on grinding out opponent. Anand this time did not collapse and came up with some fantastic defense he is known for to steer the game to a draw.

Anand, on expected lines, employed the Sicilian defense and faced the Moscow variation that Carlsen had employed before. There were no surprises earlier as both players opted for routine theory and it was a Maroczy bind structure on board after Carlsen came up with a check on move three, parting with his light squared Bishop for a knight.

On move 14, Carlsen took back Anand's light Bishop to even things up and it was again a slow grind thereafter that has been hallmark of Carlsen's play in this match.

With two minor pieces off the board, the position had only a minuscule advantage for white but Carlsen did not go for the draw. It was on the 21st move that many pundits believed both players will be happy to repeat moves.

Carlsen for obvious reasons and Anand because there was not much hope. However, the Norwegian was the first to deviate from a possible repetition. Anand found some solace after trading another set of minor pieces but the pressure remained on the Indian. Carlsen went for his final liquidation plan on the 28th move when he pushed his king pawn to fifth rank. Anand temporarily parted with a pawn and recovered it some moves later but this led the game to a pure knight and pawns endgame.

To make matters worse for Anand, Carlsen retained his small advantage as his king quickly walked over to the king side and penetrated the fifth rank. Anand's knight and king were confined to the defense and to stop further damage.

The players reached the first time control in just three hours when 40 moves were completed but by then it was also clear that either Carlsen will win or it will be a draw. In either case Anand's campaign was coming to an end and it was a pretty unpleasant task for the five times world champion.

As the game progressed both the players were engrossed in their own ways. Anand showed some signs of nervousness while Carlsen at one point leaned like 'the Crocodile' he wants to be if he was an animal. Relaxed but ready to eat the prey when they came its way. The situation took another dramatic turn on the 46th move when Carlsen sank in to a long thought. The Norwegian looked at the possibilities of sacrificing his last remaining pieces and this is what he did a couple of moves later. In return, Anand lost all his pawns and the players promoted new queens on the board.

Anand had an extra Knight but Carlsen had Queen and a couple of dangerous looking pawns on the queen side. Finding just the right moves, Anand forced an exchange pretty soon leading to a forced draw. The epic lasted 65 moves. — PTI

MOVER AND SHAKER: How Carlsen rose to become the world champion

Best ever rating 
Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen was born on 30 November 1990 is a Norwegian chess grandmaster and former chess prodigy who is the World Chess Champion and No. 1 ranked player in the world. His peak rating is 2872, the highest in history. Carlsen was the 2009 World Blitz chess champion.

Grandmaster at 13
On 26 April 2004, Carlsen became a grandmaster at the age of 13 years, 148 days, making him at that time the second youngest grandmaster in history, although he has since become the third youngest. 

Youngest No 1
On 1 January 2010, at the age of 19 years, 32 days, he became the youngest chess player in history to be ranked world No. 1. 

Sweet sixteen
On the January 2013 FIDE rating list, Carlsen reached an Elo rating of 2861, at that time the highest in history. In November 2013, Carlsen beat Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 2013, thus becoming the 16th undisputed world chess champion.

That game 
Carlsen–Viswanathan Anand, Bilbao Masters (2012). Playing against the World Champion in a game he considers one of the best in his career, Carlsen sacrifices a pawn to leave Black with a cramped position, and forces him to resign on move 30. Model chess player Carlsen modelled for G-Star Raw's Autumn/Winter 2010 advertising campaign with actress Liv Tyler. 

Acting offer
Film director J. J. Abrams offered Carlsen a role in the movie Star Trek Into Darkness as "a chess player from the future", but he had to decline, unable to get a US work permit in time for shooting. 

Sexiest man
Carlsen was selected as one of the "sexiest men of 2013" by Cosmopolitan.

Its clear that Magnus dominated. At the start of the match I thought my chances depended on my ability to last long games without making a mistake. This year I have had problems with mistakes creeping in to my play. I tried to pay some attention to that. But in the end it was in vain because the way I lost the fifth game is exactly I thought I could not afford to lose. 

I want to first get some rest and take stock of what has happened. Come to terms with everything here. At the end of the day my play in the match was a disappo-intment. I didn't manage things I aimed for. 

Viswanathan Anand

I would like to take some responsibility for his mistakes that's for sure. People crack under pressure even in the World Championship. That's what the history shows. The blunders that he made are not the mistakes he usually makes. This is what I really wanted to do, make him sit at the board and play for a long time.

The game four game gave me a very good feeling. I thought it was really good fighting game even though I did not win it. I think I seized the initiative in the match then. He (Anand) was as nervous and vulnerable as I was

Magnus Carlsen 

Chennai, November 22
Admitting that newly-crowned world champion Magnus Carlsen dominated the duel, five-time title holder Vishwanathan Anand today said that the loss in the fifth game of the World Chess Championship match turned out to be a “heady blow” for him.

Carlsen, who will turn 23 on November 30, closed the championship with two games to spare by taking his tally to required 6.5 points, winning three and drawing seven games. “The fifth game was a heady blow. I had really hoped not to be afraid of him in the long games and simply to try and match him. It was not to be. After that it got worse and worse. Yesterday at least it was a nice game and today again...I guess when it rains it pours,” a disappointed Anand said at the post-match press conference.

“Its clear that Magnus dominated. At the start of the match I thought my chances depended on my ability to last long games without making a mistake. This year I have had problems with mistakes creeping in to my play. I tried to pay some attention to that. But in the end it was in vain because the way I lost the fifth game is exactly I thought I could not afford to lose. A fine position in the opening and slowly slip and so on,” he noted.

Anand might have lost his crown to someone 21 years junior to him but the Indian was a picture of composure while admitting that he committed mistakes today also.

“I think today I was just trying to keep playing and at some point started to make mistakes. I made a wrong queen move. I simply don't know the evaluation after the match, the knight ending is pretty dangerous,” Anand said about the final game that ended in a draw.

Anand was gracious in his defeat and congratulated Carlsen for his splendid victory. “Its enough to just congratulate him (Carlsen). My mistakes did not happen by themselves. Clearly he managed to provoke them and full credit to him,” Anand said.

Asked about the third game where he had chances to go one up, the Indian ace said he did not attach much significance to it. “Things look different with hindsight. At that moment I did not attach any excessive significance to it. Obviously I was disappointed I did not call the position right. As far as I am concerned game five was when it started to go wrong,” Anand elaborated. — PTI

Brisbane, November 22
On a cloying, compelling afternoon Australia revealed their grand design for the Ashes. It is based on one of the oldest, most effective and terrorising weapons in the game: the bouncer.

When propelled at high pace as inevitably it was on the second day of the First Test, it intimidates batsmen so that it disturbs their mind and erodes their soul. Michael Clarke, Australia’s captain, will know precisely how England felt as he urged his bowlers to turn up the gas.

He had been brutally exposed himself in his side’s first innings, made to look a nincompoop. It was not retribution he sought necessarily, he has simply come to recognise the menace. Welcome to Bodyline, gentlemen.

Was that Douglas Jardine looking down through the harsh glare of a Queensland day and smiling, fondly remembering perhaps his legacy to the world left 81 years ago when England launched their own assault? And was that Pelham Warner, his manager, grimacing at the prospect of it all over again? It would be a travesty if every match was based on this but amid the ferocity there was something beautiful about it.

Not all of England’s batsmen fell to the bouncer or the short ball on a rapid, lively pitch but they all realised with grim certainty that another one was coming along soon.

Mitchell Johnson, who had talked the talk before the series, walked the walk in a thrilling exhibition of irresistible, hostile, potent and rapid bowling. He was supported importantly by the exemplary Ryan Harris, who was also unafraid to give his opponents the chance to smell leather. The important intervention of the off-spinner, Nathan Lyon, himself assisted by bounce, merely compounded England’s misery.

It all went horribly wrong in that second session of play, the period of the day known to Australians as the arvo. Johnson’s drooping moustache made him look as fearsome as Emiliano Zapata, the Mexican revolutionary who gave his name to the facial growth. He loped in and let it go as Emiliano did to government forces.

England lost six wickets for 39 runs in 25 overs but six of them went down for nine in 13.3 tortured overs. Three times before, England had suffered comparable collapses, the last in Melbourne in 1990 when they went from 147-4 to 150 all out when their nemesis was another mercurial left arm fast bowler called Bruce Reid.

If the bowling was impressive it was supported by some cunning captaincy by Clarke. He changed his bowlers often, in Johnson’s case he switched them from one end to another. He suggested a different line of attack from over and round the wicket, crucially he sensed when the opponents were ready to crumble. There was, as on the first day of a series which threatens now to be full of fire and brimstone, a key moment. It arrived in the last over of the first session, before the arvo began.

Australia had been bowled out for 295 and England would have been feeling pretty pleased with life. They lost Alastair Cook, their captain, much earlier, about a day earlier, than they would have liked when he edged a ball from Harris which lifted and moved away outside off stump.

In came Jonathan Trott, out came the bumper. Trott could not settle in the crease, Johnson was moving him around it with a series of well directed balls aimed at the head.

Brief Scores: Australia 295 (Haddin 94, Johnson 64, Broad 6-81) and 65 for 0 lead England 136 (Carberry 40, Johnson 4-61).

— The Independent

New Delhi, November 22
Promising and talented junior star Ramandeep Singh fetched a record $81,000 from Uttar Pradesh Wizards in the Hero Hockey India League Closed Bid player-auction here today. Six franchisees snapped up 49 Indian and overseas players for the second season of the Hero HIL. Ramandeep Singh, who scored his maiden goal in his debut match at the 9th Men’s Asia Cup, had scored six goals in the 3rd Sultan of Johor Cup 2013. Amongst the overseas players, Ryan Archibald was bought for $71,000 by the new franchisee from Odisha, Kalinga Lancers.

Six franchises spent $ 1.37 million to buy 49 players from Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Argentina, Ireland, England, South Africa and India.

Indian forward Nikin Thimmaiah garnered the second highest bid amongst the domestic players at $ 59000 from Uttar Pradesh Wizards who had substantial amount left at their disposal to splurge on the players.

Out of the total 154 players, the 49 who were sold sold today in the closed bid auctons were 28 Indians and 21 foreign players. The Kalinga Lancers bought 24 new players while Ranchi Rhinos bought one, Dabur Mumbai Magicians 11 players, Uttar Pradesh Wizards 4, Jaypee Punjab Warriors 5 and Delhi Waveriders 4.

Another promising Indian junior snapped up for an

impressive amount was defender Gurjinder Singh, who was bought by Dabur Mumbai Magicians for $56,000, forward Affan Yousuf was sold for $35,000 to Jaypee Punjab Warriors.

Hockey India Secretary General and Hockey India League Chairman Narinder Batra said Kalinga Lancers were a welcome addition to the HIL franchisee line-up and it was great to see promising junior players being bought by franchises at higher than the expected amounts which was a good sign for the future of Indian hockey.

In the trading window which was opened from 19 August to 30 September, Dabur Mumbai Magicians traded two players, Sandeep Singh and Satbir Singh, to Jaypee Punjab Warriors.

Auctioned players: Players-positions, base price-sold price and teams: Ramandeep Singh (India, midfielder, base price $2600, sold $81,000, UP Wizards), Ryan Archibald (New Zealand, midfielder, baseprice $25000, sold $71000, Kalinga Lancers), Nikin Thimmaiah (India, forward, $2600-59000, UP Wizards), Trent Mittion (Australia, midfielder-forward, $20000-59,000, Mumbai Magicians), Gurjinder Singh (India, defender, $2600-56000, Mumbai Magicians), Kiel Brown (Australia, defender/midfielder, $25000-55000, Kalinga Lancers), Barry Middleton (England, midfielder/forward. 

Dharamsala, November 22
Bipul Sharma hit a strokeful 91 to help Himachal Pradesh take a crucial 59-run first innings lead by scoring 296 against Hyderabad at stumps on the second day of the Group C Ranji Trophy match.

Sharma blasted 15 fours and a six in his 110-ball innings and added 65 runs with skipper Rahul Dhawan (47) for the sixth wicket. He also forged a 113-run partership with tail-ender V S Malik (45) to take Himachal close to the 250-mark. In reply, Hyderabad reached 40 for no loss in 14 overs in their second innings. TL Suman (21) and PA Reddy (13) were at the crease when the stumps were drawn. Earlier, Prashant Chopra (41) and Sangram Singh (43) gave HP a decent start reaching 79 but Alfred Absolem broke the partnership when he cleaned up the former in the 27th over.

The wicket triggered a collapse as Pagadala Naidu then dismissed new batsman Paras Dogra (1) cheaply in the next over and Absolem came back to get rid off Abhinav Bali (0) in the 29th over as the hosts all of a sudden slipped to 81 for three. Maneik Mohil (9) also didn't last long as he was dismissed by Hanuma Vihari in 34th over and when opener Sangram was sent back to the hut by Ravi Kiran in the next over, Himachal were looking down the barrel at 100 for five. Skipper Dhawan and Sharma then took the onus on themselves and pushed HP to 165 when the former lost his wicket to Naidu. Sharma, however, continued the fightback and helped HP cross the visitors' first innings total of 237.

Brief Score: Hyderabad's innings: 237 & 40-1 in 14 overs (T Suman 21; V Malik 7/0); HP: 1st innings: 296 all out in 73.1 overs (Bipul Sharma 91; A Absolem 4/88). — PTI

New Delhi, November 22
Ishant Sharma showed some signs of returning to form with a five-wicket haul as Delhi gained the upperhand against Haryana at stumps on the second day of the Ranji Trophy group A. Ishant bowled with a lot of fire as he grabbed five for 29 in 17 overs as Haryana were bowled out for 138 in reply to Delhi's first innings score of 201. Delhi scored 35 in the second innings as their lead swelled to 98 with Gambhir on 27.

Brief Score: Delhi 201 in 87.5 overs (Rajat 39,Sanjay 4/56); Haryana 138 in 55 overs (Joginder 35, Ishant 5/29, Rajat 4/32). — PTI

BRIEFLY

Oz cricketers visited Kolkata's red-light areas
Brisbane: Former Australian coach John Buchanan has stated that he tried to make travelling an enlightening experience for cricket players and took them to red-light areas in Calcutta, and albatross rookeries in New Zealand. Buchanan said: "I always coached for the whole person, not just the cricketer. It was about trying to broaden people's horizons, to take them places they hadn't been before and provide them with experiences outside the dressing room." "We'd walk the back streets of Calcutta, the red-light districts. In New Zealand we took the guys down to an albatross rookery," Buchanan said. "It's a bit of a balance to have the players ready to perform on the field, do your sponsor and media duties, do things outside the comfort zone and also spend time without following a schedule which is also very important," Buchanan added.

with a fan in Mussoorie on Friday. — PTI

Williams wins 5th WTA player of the year award
Palm Beach Gardens: Serena Williams has warned the rest of women's tennis there is more to come from her after she was named WTA player of the year for the second year running and the fifth time overall. Williams enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in WTA history. She won 78 of 82 matches, the U.S. Open and French Open among 11 titles, and a record $12,385,572 in prize money. Since February, she's been the oldest No. 1 in WTA history. She's now 32. She says, "I have some areas where I can do a lot better for next year and I look forward to it. Overall I'll remember the wins, but I also want to learn from my mistakes." Williams also won in 2002, '08, '09 and 2012. — Agencies

Kabaddi teams head to Delhi for dope tests
Brisbane: The Indian men's team that will participate in the World Cup Kabaddi, to be held from November 30, has left for New Delhi for dope tests. Women's team will leave on Saturday. "We have sent 17 players from each squad for the tests. Only after getting a clearance from NADA, we will announce the final squad of 14 players for both the teams. Also, flying squads from NADA would visit various venues during the tournament and conduct random dope test," said Rakesh Kaushal, District Sports Officer, Jalandhar.