Latest news with #WorldChampionship
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Luke Littler hits back at MBE jibe from former world champion
Darts sensation Luke Littler has reacted to former world champion Dennis Priestley, after he rubbished the awarding of an MBE to the 18-year-old. Littler won the 2025 World Darts Championship at the age of 17, becoming the tournament's youngest winner just a year after making the final as a 16 year old. His success has raised the profile of darts around the country, aided by his burgeoning rivalry with 30-year-old Luke Humphries who beat Littler in that 2024 final. Priestley, however, was not impressed with the pair being awarded MBEs in the King's Birthday Honours. Speaking to the Daily Express, the two-time world champion said: 'To be brutally honest, I don't think either Luke Littler or Luke Humphries have done enough to earn their MBEs just yet.' Priestley, nicknamed 'The Menace' during his career won the BDO world title in 1991 before claiming the WDC (which is now the PDC) prize three years later. Littler took to Instagram to reply to the 74-year-old Yorkshireman, and wrote: "Doesn't deserve an MBE but done more in 12 months than he ever did... that's what I would say anyway." His Instagram story has since been deleted. Priestley had said: "I think in time they could've done enough to warrant it but it feels very early, they have both won one World Championship each and are still young in their careers. 'Littler has been recognised for raising the popularity of darts which is great, but he can still do so much more. 'If he is getting an MBE this soon then you'd have to think he is on the right path to a knighthood, nothing would surprise me now.' Favourites for the tournament, Littler and Humphries were dumped out of the recent World Cup of Darts in their first match, losing to the German team in Frankfurt. The Northern Ireland pair of Daryl Gurney and Josh Rock went on to win the title, beating Wales' Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton in the final 10-9.
Wales Online
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Ronnie O'Sullivan and Laila Rouass reunite with £2m decision made ahead of quitting UK
Ronnie O'Sullivan and Laila Rouass reunite with £2m decision made ahead of quitting UK Snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan is said to have rekindled his relationship with former fiancee Laila Rouass just nine months after the couple announced their split Ronnie O'Sullivan and Laila Rouass are claimed to have rekindled their relationship (Image:) Snooker icon Ronnie O'Sullivan has reportedly rekindled his romance with former fiancée Laila Rouass, just months after their separation. The snooker ace, known as 'The Rocket', parted ways with the Strictly Come Dancing star last year after a 13-year relationship. Their breakup coincided with what many consider to have been O'Sullivan's toughest period professionally, having played sparingly in 2025 before entering this year's world championship. However, it seems the couple have now reunited, with reports indicating they are back together. The Sun claims that O'Sullivan and Rouass are not only reuniting but also planning a move to Dubai and have put their £2m home up for sale ahead of relocating. A source said: "They have been back together for a while. The time apart gave them time to think about what they want and what is important to them - and that is being together. "Ronnie is moving to the Middle East and Laila is going with him. They've talked about living in Dubai, which is just a two-hour flight from where Ronnie has his snooker academy in Saudi Arabia. "He has spoken to people on his snooker circuit about the move and is excited about a clean break from the UK for him and Laila. They have had their issues in the past but Ronnie and Laila have worked through it and seem really happy again. Article continues below Ronnie O'Sullivan and Laila Rouass are claimed to have rekindled their relationship (Image:) "The people who know them think they make a great couple and just want them to live a happy, quiet life. "They've been on and off before but Ronnie really wants to make it work with Laila. She will be joining him in the Middle East and they'll see how it goes." Earlier this year, they listed their £2million property in Epping Forest for sale in preparation for their relocation. A source told The Mirror: "The property has now been sold, subject to contract." The news of the couple's reunion comes after Rouass broke her silence on their original separation back in March. Taking to Instagram, she said: "Break ups can strip you down to your essence," she wrote. Ronnie O'Sullivan and Laila Rouass are reportedly moving to Dubai (Image:) Article continues below "I got through mine by using pain as fuel to take control because no matter what, we will lose parts of ourselves in relationships. It's normal, don't beat yourself up. "One thing I'm conscious of not doing is trying to get back where I was. No, I'm discovering who I've become. I've gone through various emotions... hurt, pain, anger but what I've realised about anger is that it's bottomless." O'Sullivan reached the World Championship semi-finals in May, where he was defeated by eventual champion Zhao Xintong at the Crucible.
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Ronnie O'Sullivan's £2m decision after getting back with Strictly Come Dancing star girlfriend Laila Rouass
Ronnie O'Sullivan is said to have got back together with former fiancee Laila Rouass, having split up nine months ago, and the couple are set to quit the UK for a fresh start in Dubai Snooker ace Ronnie O'Sullivan has reportedly rekindled his romance with former partner Laila Rouass, just nine months after the couple called it quits. 'The Rocket' had parted ways with the Strictly Come Dancing celebrity last year after a 13-year relationship. The split came during what many consider to have been O'Sullivan's toughest period professionally, with limited appearances in 2025 leading up to this year's World Championship. However, it seems the pair have found their way back to each other, with reports indicating they are now an item once again. The Sun claims that the couple have reunited and are planning a move to Dubai. They are said to be selling their £2million property in Epping Forest in preparation for their relocation. A source said: "They have been back together for a while. "The time apart gave them time to think about what they want and what is important to them - and that is being together. "Ronnie is moving to the Middle East and Laila is going with him. They've talked about living in Dubai, which is just a two-hour flight from where Ronnie has his snooker academy in Saudi Arabia. "He has spoken to people on his snooker circuit about the move and is excited about a clean break from the UK for him and Laila. "They have had their issues in the past but Ronnie and Laila have worked through it and seem really happy again. The people who know them think they make a great couple and just want them to live a happy, quiet life. "They've been on and off before but Ronnie really wants to make it work with Laila," the source continued. "She will be joining him in the Middle East and they'll see how it goes." Following their earlier split in March, Rouass took to Instagram to reflect on the separation. "Break ups can strip you down to your essence," she wrote. "I got through mine by using pain as fuel to take control because no matter what, we will lose parts of ourselves in relationships. It's normal, don't beat yourself up. "One thing I'm conscious of not doing is trying to get back where I was. No, I'm discovering who I've become. "I've gone through various emotions... hurt, pain, anger but what I've realised about anger is that it's bottomless." In May, O'Sullivan reached the World Championship semi-finals. He was beaten by Zhao Xintong, the eventual champion at the Crucible.
News18
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Magnus Carlsen Reveals Feeling 'Washed And Useless' After 'Painful And Dumb' Loss To D Gukesh
Last Updated: Magnus Carlsen won his seventh Norway Chess title, despite a "painful" loss to World Champion D Gukesh. Nobody likes losing, let alone those who reign at the top. Magnus Carlsen is no exception to the same, as the World No 1 revealed the internal battles after suffering a 'painful…dumb' loss to reigning World Champion D Gukesh at Norway Chess. The 34-year-old Norwegian secured his seventh Norway Chess title, where he beat the likes of Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Wei Yi, Fabiano Caruana, and Hikaru Nakamura to once again stake his claim as the best in the world. But, even the best have their embarrassing slip-ups. At the end of the day, one wrong move is all it takes to change an entire game. And that is exactly what happened at the tournament in a crucial match between Carlsen and Gukesh, where the Norwegian succumbed to a now-popular loss against the Indian teenager. Carlsen, who was visibly upset over the loss, ended up slamming the table before regaining composure and shaking hands with Gukesh. While his reaction has now prompted a series of remarks on the internet, including criticism from many, Carlsen himself opened up on the same and revealed the thought process behind his reaction. 'That was a really painful loss. Those hit a lot harder," Carlsen revealed in an interview on Pardon My Take. 'Honestly, part of me, when I had that loss (to Gukesh) recently, just felt it was so dumb and so unnecessary. It just made me feel so kind of washed and useless that my thought for a few days was just 'I'm not sure why I'm doing this.' When I win, it's good, but it feels kind of normal. Then when I lose, it's just, you know, for a moment, the world just falls apart." Well, thankfully for Carlsen, salvation was near, and he would attain the same, as the five-time World Champion secured the Norway Chess crown after a dramatic final round where his closest challenger, Gukesh, faltered at the last hurdle. It marked Carlsen's seventh triumph at his home event and underscores his enduring dominance in the classical format, despite stepping back from World Championship competition. He finished with 16 points, half a point ahead of Caruana, who capitalized on Gukesh's error to claim second place with 15.5 points, while Gukesh, who has had an up-and-down year as the reigning World Champion, had to settle for third with 14.5 points. First Published: June 20, 2025, 09:48 IST
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘My wife is way more attracted to me now': Magnus Carlsen after breaking 2900 rating threshold in freestyle chess
In a career littered with silverware, there was one dream that always eluded Magnus Carlsen: breaking the 2900 rating threshold in classical chess. This was something no chess player has ever done. Carlsen, who won the world chess championship title five times and has been world no 1 for almost 15 years, came close a few times, but the best he could achieve in classical chess was 2882, which he achieved in May 2014, just six months after winning the World Championship for the first time by defeating Viswanathan Anand in 2013. Now, Carlsen had finally broken 2900 rating, albeit in the freestyle chess ratings, which were unveiled on Thursday. The ratings it must be noted are drawn up by Freestyle Chess rather than FIDE, the global governing body of chess. After hearing about the rating, Carlsen joked: 'My wife (Ella Victoria) is way more attracted to me now that I've achieved 2900.' Freestyle Chess used five tournaments — Weissenhaus 2024, Singapore 2024, Weissenhaus 2025, Paris 2025, Karlsruhe 2025 — to come up with the ratings. There are 578 players on the list, these have played at least one freestyle chess event in the last two years. Praggnanandhaa is India's top player in the rating list on 4th spot, just behind Carlsen (2909), Hikaru Nakamura (2818) and Fabiano Caruana (2804). Praggnanandhaa has 2773 points which put him ahead of compatriots like Arjun Erigaisi (8th spot with 2758 points), Vidit Santosh Gujarathi (18th with 2713 points), Aravindh Chithambaram VR (22nd with 2707) and classical world champion Gukesh (26th spot with 2701). World champion Gukesh has not had the best of performances in freestyle chess tournaments, which explains his struggles on the rankings board for June 2025. Gukesh's predecessor on the world champion's throne, Carlsen, meanwhile has had no problems in the format he himself had championed. Carlsen, in fact, went through the Grenke Freestyle Open: nine wins from nine games. At 2909, Carlsen's freestyle ELO rating is 72 points above his ELO in traditional chess with classical time control. After that near miss in 2014, Carlsen came close to 2900 in classical chess once again in 2019. It was during this period that he set another record: 125 classical games in a row without defeat between July 2018 and October 2020. In 2023, he told Norwegian podcast Sjakksnakk: 'I have given up a bit on trying to reach 2900. It will just be very, very difficult.'
