- Win puts world champion ahead 6-3 in best-of-14 series
- Blunder by challenger leads to a result in just under four hours
Magnus Carlsen has all but retained his world title after defeating Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi for the third time in four games in the ninth encounter of their showdown on Tuesday in Dubai, opening a commanding 6-3 margin in the best-of-14 match with five contests remaining.
The cracks that have emerged in the challenger’s veneer since Carlsen drew first blood with a psychologically taxing 7hr 45min epic on Friday – the longest game in the recognised 135-year history of world championship matchplay –culminated in a spectacular self-destruction on Tuesday as Nepomniachtchi made an extraordinary blunder in the middlegame that immediately pointed his Norwegian opponent towards a straightforward win in just under four hours.
