Reigning world chess champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway has evened the score against Russian challenger Sergei Karjakin in the world championship match in New York City.
Playing with the white pieces, Carlsen defeated the Ukrainian-born Russian grandmaster in the 10th game of the match on November 24 to even the score in the ongoing FIDE World Chess Championship at 5-5.
Karjakin had taken a surprise lead in the match with a win over Carlsen on November 22 that followed seven straight draws and left the reigning champion so distraught that he stormed out of the postgame press conference before his opponent arrived to address the media.
Only two games remain in the match. Karjakin will have the white pieces when it resumes on November 26. The first player to reach 6.5 points will win the match. In case of a tie, they will play a series of rapid games to determine the winner.
Carlsen, 25, and Karjakin, 26, are former child prodigies who earned their grandmaster titles at the ages of 13 and 12, respectively.
Carlsen, the highest-rated player in chess history, won his title by defeating Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand in 2013.
The prize purse of $1.1 million will be divided 60-40 between the two men, though Carlsen could be hit with a substantial fine for skipping the press conference following his loss earlier this week.