The Guardian

Anish Giri won two games in a row to advance into second place, but has little chance of overhauling the leader Javokhir Sindarov extended his lead at the world championship Candidates in Cyprus on Thursday when the 20-year-old Uzbek grandmaster won for the sixth time at the event to take his overall total to an unbeaten eight points out of 10, two ahead of his closest challenger, the Netherlands…

Updates from 11am BST start across the grounds Sign up for the Spin | Mail Tanya or comment BTL Just the most perfect spring morning in Manchester, birds, blossom, the works. One to store up and remember in November. My husband heard his first willow warbler of the year too. Derbyshire are hoping it stays that way. This was Zak Chappell last night: Continue reading...

Midfielder expected to earn £120,000 a week New deal marks turnaround for Mainoo under Carrick Michael Carrick has indicated Kobbie Mainoo is moving closer to signing a new contract with Manchester United, saying negotiations are “in a good place”. The 20-year-old, whose deal expires in the summer of 2027, is expected to earn about £120,000 a week, a marked increase on his current terms, which ar…

Quarter-final: Wakefield 22-26 Wigan Warriors to meet St Helens in Challenge Cup last four The winds of change that swept through Super League last year as Hull KR became the dominant force in the game have at stages already in 2026 threatened to become more akin to a hurricane – and no afternoon felt more seismic in defining that mood than this. Super League has been in desperate need of a new c…

De Zerbi looks past Simons, Arsenal fans are not helping their team and Ngumoha can give PSG something to think about Football is such that, when you’re down, there’s a good chance the game boots you in the solar plexus, and that’s exactly what happened to Tottenham at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland’s winner coming by way of a deflection. But you can also take steps to help yourself and, though…

Wales and Scotland produced drama at the Principality Stadium while England and Ireland drew a record crowd as the tournament began at major venues Sporting theatre reached Shakespearean heights at the Principality Stadium on Saturday as Wales and Scotland produced the best match of the opening Women’s Six Nations weekend. Welsh hearts broke seven minutes past the full 80 as Scotland managed to g…

The two-time Grand National winner is surely second only to ‘Rummy’ and will be a strong favourite at Aintree in 2027 Relentless drama, no significant injuries to any of the 34 runners and a winner who inked himself on to the exclusive list of Aintree legends with the possibility of better to come next year. Saturday’s Grand National produced everything racing could realistically hope for and mor…

Kara Nortman talks Monarch Collective’s sports ownership portfolio and potential investment in England Many Women’s Super League clubs are treated as “an afterthought” by their owners according to Kara Nortman, the co-founder of the women’s sport investment fund Monarch Collective and Angel City FC. Monarch last month became the first women’s multi-sport group by buying a minority stake in Clevel…

Coach believes there’s no limit to 18-year-old’s talent while athlete himself says he’s ‘ready for more’ Having cracked the 20-second barrier with a sizzling run over 200m – and in the process fulled comparisons with the great Usain Bolt – the question now is, how fast can Gout Gout go? “How long’s a piece of string?” said Gout’s coach and mentor, Di Sheppard, after he clocked 19.67sec at the Aus…

Northern Irishman vows not to rest on laurels after his sixth major win Player ‘not as emotional’ as last year but revels in ‘amazing’ win Rory McIlroy has warned the rest of elite golf he will set further, lofty goals in his sport after a successful defence of the Masters. McIlroy prevailed at Augusta National by a shot over Scottie Scheffler, meaning the Northern Irishman becomes just the fourt…

2025 winner joins Nicklaus, Faldo and Woods in retaining title He triumphs on 12 under by one shot from Scottie Scheffler You are left wondering how on earth Augusta National managed to inflict such psychological torture on Rory McIlroy for all those years. Or maybe that is precisely the point, that ­McIlroy’s ending of his Masters hoodoo in 2025 placed him into a fresh head space where failure i…

Last April Newcastle brought the thrills against Crystal Palace, putting five past Oliver Glasner’s side at St James’ Park, the victory closed by an Alexander Isak special. How things have changed. At Selhurst Park this time round, the visitors succumbed to a third successive defeat, Jean-Philippe Mateta’s penalty in injury time adding to the misery for Eddie Howe and his team. William Osula’s cl…

Tom Watson wants to fill in the creek in front. The Golden Bear says play safe if the pin is on the right. McIlroy defied the conventional wisdom and won There’s hot, and then there’s the back nine on Sunday at Augusta when there are five players within two shots of the lead. The TV weathermen reckoned it was 30C but then they weren’t down at Amen Corner when Rory McIlroy was standing on the tee …

With the season reaching its climax and weather improving, it’s ideal for attracting fans, but the fixture list is blank Momentum can be extremely powerful. Just ask Wrexham, anyone involved in English women’s football in the aftermath of Euro 2022 or the scientists calculating Artemis II’s route for Nasa. The climax to the domestic women’s football season in England, and around Europe, has lost …

1-0 defeat at Sunderland leaves Tottenham in bottom three ‘Win a game, everything will be different,’ De Zerbi says Roberto De Zerbi diagnosed a lack of confidence as the root cause of Tottenham’s ills after his first match as manager ended in a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland . The result leaves Spurs in the relegation zone, two points adrift of 17th with six games remaining. “We didn’t deserve to lose…