WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2016 SPORTS Battle for world chess crown heads to tiebreaker

NEW YORK: Neither reigning champ Magnus will play an Armageddon game in which white has Carlsen of Norway nor Russian grandmaster Sergei five minutes and black has four, but black only has Karyakin has claimed the world chess crown after to draw to win the match,” the World Chess 12 matches, throwing the tournament to four tie- Federation said. The eventual accelerated games break games scheduled for today. leave plenty of opportunity for harried mistakes. Almost three weeks after the chess World But in the meantime, Carlsen said “25 minutes Championship began, the last scheduled game and 10 seconds per move is a lot of time so we’re ended Monday in a draw-just like nine of the previ- still playing normal chess.” ous 11 games-with spectators left hungry for deci- “We’re not at the penalty stage yet. We’re at extra sive action in the forthcoming tiebreaker. time,” he said, making a soccer analogy. “I under- “I’m not proud of the game today, but I think stand if sometimes both teams are not trying to there’s a tradeoff” for the spectators, said Carlsen, score in the last minute of regulation that can be alluding to the extra chess to be played. frustrating but also having extra time is exciting.” Regulations stipulate that the two players will now The winner will be declared world champion and participate in four rapid games, which the World will take home 600,000 euros ($637,000). The loser Chess Federation says will be played “at the rate of will walk away with a consolation prize of 400,000 25 minutes per player per game, with 10 seconds euros. At the end of the eighth game, which ended added after each move.” All previous games allowed in a victory for Karyakin, Carlsen left the premises in for more than three hours of play. In the event of a a state of fury before participating in a press confer- draw at the end of those four games, the players ence, which earned him a penalty equal to five per- will participate in two blitz games, a fast format cent of his earnings, whether he wins or loses. played at the rate of five minutes per player at the More than six million people have checked in on start, with three seconds added after each move. the World Chess Championships via its official web- Should there still be a tie at this point, they will play NEW YORK: Sergey Karjakin (R), Russian chess grandmaster, plays against Magnus Carlsen, site since the start of the competition, a spokesman up to four more sets of blitz games. Norwegian chess grandmaster and current World Chess Champion, during round 12 of the World said Monday, without specifying how many had “If there is still no winner, Carlsen and Karyakin Chess Championship on Monday. — AFP paid to watch the live video. — AFP

UAE honors Al-Daihani as Arab sports figure of ’16 DUBAI: The Mohammad bin Rashed Al- demonstrate creativity in the field of sports. Maktoum Creative Sports award has named Meanwhile, UAE General Public Kuwait’s shooter Fheid Al-Daihani Monday Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare as one of the distinguished and creative honored three Kuwaiti trekkers who trav- Arab sports figures of the year 2016. Al- elled on foot from Kuwait to UAE to cele- Daihani was chosen by the award’s council brate the latter’s National Day. of secretaries for his remarkable achieve- The three Kuwaiti trekkers were merited ment, winning the gold medal in the men’s for their journey by Secretary General of double trap competition of the 2016 Rio the Authority Ibrahim Abdul Malik Olympic Games in Brazil last August. Mohammed in a celebration held to mark The council has also chosen Jordan’s UAE National Day. Taekwondo athlete Ahmad Abughaush for Speaking on behalf of his fellow- the award after he won the gold medal in trekkers, Ali Al-Ajmi told KUNA that the Taekwondo at Rio’16, and Prince Ali bin Al- main goal of taking on this 14-day trek was Hussein, President of the Jordan Football to show sentiment of solidarity, love and Association and West Asian Football loyalty to UAE and its people; it’s a gesture Federation, for his recent significant efforts of brotherly love to the Emirati people. at FIFA, in addition to his constant He expressed appreciation to UAE demands for implementing transparency in Authority for Youth and Sports for a FIFA. It has also chosen UAE’s Sheikh great welcome and greater honor he Hamdan Bin Rashed Al-Maktoum, President and his fellow mates received. of Al-Nasr Club, for his efforts in the devel- He also thanked Kuwait Public Authority opment of sports in his country and his for Sports and Youth for its support. support of disability sports, sea sports, and Abdullah Mani and Ayed Al-Ajmi have been equestrian sports. The award honors indi- alongside Al-Ajmi in a trek that was named viduals, teams, and establishments that “UAE is worth it.” — KUNA England’s scrum is the problem: Cheika

LONDON: Australia coach Michael Cheika Scotty and James-Cole’s experience in that has fired back at Eddie Jones by insisting it way and turning in and pulling down just is England rather than Australia who scrum got the better of them and they weren’t illegally. able to deal with it.” It is standard practice England boss Jones riled his native before an international for coaches to meet Australia by calling for a pre-match meet- with a referee in order to get some idea of ing with referee Jaco Peper ahead of how a particular official will interpret rugby Saturday’s clash at Twickenham to discuss union’s complex rulebook. his concerns about the Wallabies’ scrum. But Cheika said Jones, whom he had But Cheika said Jones, once his team- previously accused of being “vitriolic” mate at Sydney club Randwick, had to get towards Australia, the team he guided to a his own house in order after prop Dan Cole 2003 World Cup final defeat by England in was sin-binned for collapsing a scrum dur- Sydney, now had a different attitude ing England’s 27-14 win at home to towards such encounters. “It’s funny how Argentina last Saturday. your tune changes because in the summer “I think the important thing there to when we asked for those meetings he note is that he’s got to be looking at his (Jones) was blowing up, he stormed out of ST LOUIS: St Louis Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko (91), of Russia, celebrates after scoring a goal past Dallas Stars goalie Antti Niemi, left, of Finland, own players because they’re the ones who one,” said Cheika. Rugby Union is unusual during overtime of an NHL hockey game Monday, in St. Louis. The Blues won 4-3 in overtime. — AP have a prop with a yellow card and that in allowing coaches to meet with a referee same prop’s been infringing the law since in the lead-up to a Test match and Cheika his career started, probably if not all of this questioned whether the practice should Tarasenko scores 10th goal year,” Cheika said Tuesday. continue. Cheika, in a thinly veiled reference to “I don’t think the refs like those meet- Cole’s play during England’s 3-0 series win ings anyway but they’re the rules so we in Australia in June, added: “It’s up to the ref were only asking,” he said. “There’s no other to lift Blues past Stars whether he gets influenced by that really sport where a coach is meeting a referee after the guy’s been boring in and falling the day before a game on their own. “We down all of June in the series we played sign a million integrity forms now at World ST LOUIS: Giving up a lead late before going on to against them.” The Australia coach stressed Rugby and do courses, but I still don’t win two straight games is not St Louis coach Ken NHL results/standings his side scrummed correctly. understand how the referee meets the Hitchcock’s idea of good hockey. “We scrum square,” he said. “We’ve got coach before the game on his own.” Vladimir Tarasenko scored at 3:24 of overtime to an Argentinian scrum coach and all we do England head into Saturday’s match on lift the Blues to a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars NY Islanders 2 Calgary 1 (OT); St. Louis 4 Dallas 3 (OT). is scrum square and try to get as much a 13-game unbeaten run, having won all 12 on Monday night. Tarasenko took a pass from Jori Western Conference Ottawa 14 7 1 51 51 29 weight as possible.” Cheika added that of their internationals under Jones since Lehtera and fired a wrist shot past Stars goalie Antti Central Division Tampa Bay 13 9 1 70 60 27 Niemi for 10th of the season and team-leading Australia props Scott Sio and James Slipper the former Japan coach took charge follow- WL OTLGFGAPTS Boston 12 10 0 53 50 24 had been undone at the scrum by Cole not ing last year’s World Cup. 23rd point. Chicago 14 6 3 66 59 31 The Stars had tied it with 50 seconds left in the Florida 11 10 1 57 58 23 because of any technical deficiencies of Australia, meanwhile, will be looking to St. Louis 13 7 3 62 63 29 Toronto 9 8 4 66 69 22 their own, but rather as a result of the recover from a 27-24 loss to Ireland in third period on defenseman Jamie Oleksiak’s sec- Minnesota 11 7 3 58 42 25 Detroit 10 10 2 54 58 22 England front-row’s illegal tactics. Dublin last Saturday that ended their ond goal of the game. “There’s a real concern about Dallas 9 8 6 60 76 24 hopes of emulating the 1984 Wallabies by the leads,” Hitchcock said. “There’s a real concern Nashville 10 8 3 60 54 23 Buffalo 7 9 5 39 53 19 ‘BLOWING UP’ completing a Grand Slam of wins over the about what we gave up and how we did it. We Winnipeg 10 12 2 63 70 22 Metropolitan Division “In the summer that’s what happened to Home Nations. — AFP played terrific and had full control of the hockey Colorado 9 10 1 44 58 19 NY Rangers 15 7 1 85 57 31 game. We got careless on our checking and our Pacific Division Pittsburgh 13 6 3 66 65 29 puck management.” Edmonton 12 9 2 68 59 26 Washington 13 6 2 57 48 28 The Blues also gave up a late third-period goal San Jose 12 9 1 52 48 25 Columbus 11 5 4 62 47 26 in Saturday’s shootout win over Minnesota. “There’s Los Angeles 12 9 1 57 54 25 New Jersey 10 6 5 53 55 25 a lot of good things to like with what’s going on Anaheim 10 8 4 57 54 24 right now,” Hitchcock said. Philadelphia 10 10 3 74 78 23 Calgary 10 13 2 57 77 22 Carolina 9 8 4 52 56 22 “You like our spirit and our ability to come back Vancouver 9 11 2 49 66 20 NY Islanders 7 10 4 51 64 18 but there’s genuine concerns on my part about ele- Arizona 8 10 2 50 63 18 ments of our game that don’t hurt you at home but Eastern Conference Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one will kill you on the road. We have to get that Atlantic Division point in the standings and are not included in cleaned up.” On the tying goal, Dallas had an extra Montreal 16 4 2 67 48 34 the loss column (L) skater with Niemi pulled and Oleksiak sent the puck at the net from the left point and it got past Blues goalie Jake Allen for his fourth career goal - in the NHL at eight games (three goals, eight was just hoping it was me. I’ll take it. Everybody third against St. Louis. “I don’t come into games assists). “We were patient there,” Perron said. “We loves to score.” thinking (anything) but I was fortunate to get a were able to come back and get the two points so Dallas cut the lead in half with 3:39 left in the couple of bounces here and I think I just do what I it’s good.” The Blues improved to 6-1-0 over their second when Oleksiak beat Allen with a wrist shot can,” Oleksiak said. “Obviously I have some famil- past seven games. St. Louis has won its last five from the right circle. Oleksiak skated around Perron iarity with this team. We play them a lot and home games and is 8-0-2 in the last 10 at Scottrade and Pietrangelo to score. played them in the playoffs last year and you kind Center. The Blues got on the scoreboard first with The goal impressed Dallas coach Lindy Ruff. “He of learn some tendencies and you kind of learn 6:24 left in the first period when Fabbri took a pass scores two goals. The first one is one you can save where to be in certain situations.” from Robert Bortuzzo in the right circle and sent a for a lifetime and I think it was a turning point for Robby Fabbri, Alex Pietrangelo and David low wrist shot past Niemi. It was Fabbri’s first goal us,” Ruff said. “It gave us some belief that we can Perron also scored for St. Louis, and Allen finished in six games. get back into the game.” with 18 saves. Jamie Benn had the Stars’ other goal Pietrangelo poked in a loose puck under the The Stars tied it on a power play when Benn, and Niemi stopped 27 shots. St. Louis improved to Niemi’s pad at 4:17 of the second period for a pow- who also had two assists, scored 1:47 into the third. 3-3 in games beyond regulation - including 2-2 in er-play goal to make it 2-0. Patrick Berglund redi- It was his third goal in his last five games. St. Louis overtime - and Dallas fell to 1-6 - all in OT. rected the shot by Pietrangelo but Niemi never had two power-play opportunities in the third peri- BAGNOLET: Wrestlers of the “Diables Rouges” wrestling club in Bagnolet, attend a “Overtime is killing us right now,” Benn said. The completely covered it. Charging the net, od and did not put a shot on goal.This is the sec- training session on November 18, 2016 at the sports hall in Bagnolet. The team of Blues took a 3-2 lead with 6:48 remaining as Perron Pietrangelo pounced and knocked it in. ond of four meetings between the Stars and Blues the “Diables Rouges” wrestling club in Bagnolet are performing at the Theatre in took a pass from Jaden Schwartz and beat Niemi. “We were all whacking away at it,” Pietrangelo this season. Dallas won the first meeting, 6-2, in Aubervilliers. — AFP Perron has the longest active point-scoring streak said. “Somebody has to score it. I do what I can. I Dallas on Nov. 3. — AP