Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen has retained the World Chess Championship title after defeating America's Fabiano Caruana 3-0 in a tie-break contest in London.
The challenge proved to be one of the most difficult ones for the reigning world champion as both the players played 12 draw matches leading them to the tie-breaker.
A 20-day long event tested the nerves of the players but in the end, it was Carlsen who got better off his opponent and emerged victorious.
With the defeat, Caruana missed the chance of being the first US chess champion since Bobby Fischer who won the title in 1972.
After defending his world title Carlsen, with a smile, said that he had a really good day at the work.
"I feel like I've had a really good day at work today," CNN quoted Carlsen, as saying.
Caruana, on the other hand, expressed disappointment over the defeat and hoped to learn from his mistakes.
"It wasn't a good day for me. I hope I can look back at the match and learn from it," Caruana said.
Later, the American player took to his official Twitter handle and congratulated Carlsen for the victory. While admitting that he was up against "one of the most talented players in the history of chess" he hoped to make another bid for the world title.
"This was a hard fought match to the end, and I want to congratulate Magnus on defending his title. I was up against one of the most talented players in the history of chess, and I gave it everything I had.
"Throughout the championship, I've heard from fans around the world and want to thank them for their support. I feel that we put this beautiful game back on the map in America and hope it will inspire a new generation of players. I look forward to the opportunity to make another bid for the title," he wrote.
Carlsen had become the world chess champion in 2013 after defeating Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand.
(ANI)
