The online Magnus Carlsen Invitational produced a big-name final and a refreshing insight into the human side of chess
Strange times these. In a parallel universe, middle-aged men with middle-aged bellies are still frothing over Arsenal’s controversial Premier League winner against Liverpool. Saracens have somehow snuck into another Champions Cup final. And Pinatubo, or “Pina-turbo” as the tabloids are calling him, has just been christened the greatest horse since Frankel after his 2,000 Guineas triumph.
In the real world, meanwhile, the biggest and richest sporting event over the weekend – with all due respect to Belarus’s premier league – took place on the internet in a chess match dubbed el clásico.
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For all his great savvy and the respect in which he is held, Speelman is never going to be the Agassi of the 64 squares
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