Chess champion Magnus Carlsen has vowed to “celebrate for the next two years” after retaining his world title.
The Norwegian, 27, world champion since 2013, finally defeated his American challenger Fabiano Caruana after an unprecedented 12 successive draws.
In the “rapid chess” tie-break, when each player had only 25 minutes to complete the game, Carlsen won three games to nil.
After the match in Holborn, watched online by millions around the world, he said: “It was a very even match, but today I was a bit better. It’s very special for me to win this time.
"Fabiano is the strongest opponent that I’ve played so far in a world championship.”
Caruana, 26, who was brought up in Brooklyn, said: “I’m very disappointed... I was up against one of the most talented players in the history of chess and I gave it everything I had.”
The players will share the prize fund, with Carlsen receiving £486,000 and Caruana £398,000.
