Anand plays out draw with Carlsen in Sinquefield Cup

STLOUIS,USA: Viswanathan Anand gave nothing away and played out a keenly contested draw with reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the fourth round of Sinquefield Cup, a part of the Grand Chess tour.

Playing his second white in the event, Anand tried the Rossolimo variation to counter Carlsen’s Sicilian defense, an opening that the Norwegian chose second time against Anand in the current year.

WOODS, MICKELSON CONFIRM $9M DUEL

LOS ANGELES: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will go head-tohead in a winner-take-all $9 million (€7.78 million) duel in Las Vegas in November, it was announced Wednesday.

Woods and Mickelson, who have 19 Major titles between them, will face off at the Shadow Creek Golf Course on November 23, coinciding with Thanksgiving weekend in the United States.

SPANISH UNION THREATENS STRIKE

MADRID: Spain’s footballers union on Wednesdaythreatened to strike over controversial plans to play a La Liga match in the US, blasting a decision based only on “money and business”.

“We are tired of these unilateral decisions that directly affect the players like this plan of playing outside Spain,” said David Aganzo, the president of the players union (AFE) after a meeting attended by stars including Sergio Ramos and Sergio Busquets. La Liga plans to stage a match in North America as part of an expansion drive.

DJOKOVIC EXCITED TO TEAM UP WITH FEDERER

CHICAGO: Novak Djokovic is looking forward to possibly forming a doubles dream-team with Roger Federer as Europe prepares to take on the Rest of the World in the Laver Cup. Djokovic and Federer will spearhead European challenge in the second staging of the tournament, which takes place in Chicago from September 21-23.

FORMER BRAZILIAN FOOTBALL BOSS JAILED

NEW YORK: A US judge jailed the 86-year-old former boss of Brazilian football for four years, branding him a “cancer” on the world’s most popular sport in the sweeping FIFA corruption scandal. Jose Maria Marin was found guilty in connection with nearly $6.6 million in bribes from sports marketing companies in exchange for contracts to broadcast major tournaments.