Sometimes sport is at its most tense when it is at its most still – in those micro‑lulls before world title fights as the protagonists coil in their corners, awaiting the bell, and adrenaline and testosterone races through the crowd like white water; between the purse of a referee’s lips and the first step in a shootout; before the starter’s pistol shatters the hush of an Olympic 100m final; and, yes, when the world chess champion is hunched over the board, brain scurrying back and forth through innumerable tunnels of calculation looking for a clear path to victory.
I can say that with some confidence having sat through most of the 11 games of the world chess championship between Magnus Carlsen and the challenger, Sergey Karjakin, in New York, including an epic 10th game which sprawled over six nervy and compelling hours until Carlsen finally found a way through the battle fog.
Related: Magnus review – profile of the ‘Mozart of chess’
Related: World Chess Championship: political intrigue lurks as battle reaches midway
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