KYIV, Ukraine — Sergei Karjakin had only one game of chess left, and he had to win it. In chess, only the top 30 players can expect to build a proper career from the game. But first Karjakin had to win one last game. For nearly 60 moves, Karjakin posed subtle and challenging problems to Irina Semyonova, his opponent. Suddenly, all of what had been close enough to touch — the label, the fame, the history — was slipping away.

Source: International New York Times July 13, 2021 10:52 UTC