As the chess furore between Carlsen and Niemann rolls on, we take a look at some enduring disputes in sportNot since Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit enthralled 62 million viewers has chess captured mainstream attention to such an extent.Last month the Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, world No 1 and already the “rock star” of chess – see GQ profiles and multimillion‑pound apparel collaborations – accused the American Hans Niemann of cheating after the 19-year-old ended Carlsen’s over-the-board 53-match winning sequence. Continue reading...
Sport often welcomes back a bad boy turned good but some offences lie so far beyond the pale a return is almost impossible despite protestationsSteve Smith and David Warner were booed during Australia’s warm-up fixtures against West Indies and England in Southampton. The Aussies won both matches, and Smith got runs in both, so perhaps they won’t care about a phenomenon that seems likely to continue throughout the World Cup, even if they get to the final on 14 July.According to Smith, who spoke after taking a ton off England’s bowlers at the Hampshire Bowl on Saturday, the chants of “Cheat! Cheat! Cheat!” are like “water off a duck’s back – it doesn’t bother me”. But it should, because it...
Six years after Armstrong’s lifelong ban from cycling, he is very much back in the public eye. But it would certainly be easier to enjoy his rebranding if his contrition felt less self-absorbedYou’ve got to hand it to Lance Armstrong – he’s a fighter. Sure, Tiger Woods may look like a shoo-in for this year’s Biggest Comeback from a Spectacular Fall from Grace by a Sporting Star of the 2000s. But Armstrong isn’t giving up hope of the title just yet. Especially not when he’s been laying the groundwork for the past two years. Related: Lance Armstrong: David Millar is ‘last person’ who should lead cyclists’ union Related: Annemiek van Vleuten retains world time-trial title as Dutch riders dominate Continue...
As the federal government’s $100m lawsuit against the disgraced cyclist prepares to go to trial, it’s worth asking: what exactly is the point here?At what point will society’s fury against Lance Armstrong be satisfied? Will it be when Armstrong has to sell his remaining luxury items, including his houses in Aspen and Austin? Or will it be when Armstrong has to hand over most of his earthly possessions not to the people he truly wronged – such as Greg LeMond or Frankie and Betsy Andreu – but to former teammate/fellow doper Floyd Landis and the US Postal Service, both of whom profited handsomely from association with the cancer patient-turned-Tour de France megastar-turned-pariah? Related: Whatever your opinion on Lance Armstrong, liking...