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...
The Rugby World Cup final and World Series went against the form book and most academics regard ‘the M word’ as a trick of the mind“Never underestimate the value of momentum.” That’s what Sir Clive Woodward advised after England’s rugby players lacerated Australia a fortnight ago. And how wise those words seemed when New Zealand were also scattered and flayed, and it seemed England’s name was all but engraved on the Webb Ellis Cup. And then, without warning, the team’s hot hand turned Arctic and the World Cup was ripped from their grasp by South Africa.“Momentum is so important in football.” That’s what Dimitar Berbatov told us on Friday, before predicting Manchester United would win their fourth match on the...
Houston built their championship team on talented youngsters and undervalued castoffs. Other teams are now asking if it’s worth investing in superstarsEven before the last out was made, Carlos Correa proposed to his girlfriend and the Houston Astros poured their champagne a serious question had to be asked in the front offices of nearly every other Major League baseball team.Who needs the big free agent? Related: Astros' Carlos Correa wins World Series, proposes to girlfriend ... gets a yes Related: Is Dodgers v Astros the first all-computer World Series? Continue reading...
Wednesday’s Game 7 between the Astros and Dodgers has the potential to exceed even 2016’s beguiling combination of rich storylines and see-saw scoringGame 7 (* if necessary).Of course it’s necessary. The greatest sporting events do not come with caveats, and it feels right that a World Series as evenly-matched yet helter-skelter as this one should end with the built-in drama of a title-decider at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. Related: The greatest World Series Game 7s of all time Related: Baseball no longer a supergiant but it is still the most American of sports Continue reading...
When Houston and Los Angeles take the field on Tuesday their players will have been picked by data and analytics, rather than scouts with years in the fieldThe future of the World Series does not wear Dodger blue or Astro orange. It won’t throw a strike, hit a home run or chase a line drive into the gap, though it can predict the probability of such things occurring with remarkable accuracy.The future of the World Series lives not in the mortal realm, but in mainframes and clouds and flash drives and smartphones carried by men with pedigrees much loftier than half a lifetime in the worn fields of the minor leagues. Related: Baseball no longer a supergiant but it is...