Team Russia is once again the World Chess Team Champion, a title they last held in 2013 with a lineup composed of Kramnik, Karjakin, Grischuk Nepomniachtchi and Vitiugov. At that time it was a great comeback story -- Russia was held to a draw by Armenia in the first round, then lost heavily to USA 1-3 in the second.

This time last year, Kevin Kisner didn’t quite get the result he wanted. He had just finished runner-up at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship, but the fact that he didn’t get past the 12^th hole in the final against two-time major titleholder Bubba Watson gnawed at him. Never mind that he hitherto managed to lead his particular group, which included World Number One Dustin Johnson, and thereafter claim victories against Matt Kuchar, Ian Poulter, and Alex Noren. As far as he was concerned, there was unfinished business at the Austin Country Club.

DEALT a big loss last time around that could potentially derail their chances of advancing to the quarterfinal phase of the PBA Philippine Cup, the Alaska Aces are still not giving up hope even if technically their fate is no longer in their hands.

LOS ANGELES -- James Harden recorded a 50-point triple-double, and the Houston Rockets fended off the hot-shooting Sacramento Kings for a 119-108 victory on Saturday at Toyota Center.

TOKYO – Filipino mixed martial arts fighter Danny “The King” Kingad passed his first test in ONE Championship’s Flyweight Grand Prix, hacking out an impressive unanimous decision win over hometown bet Senzo Ikeda at “ONE: A New Era” at the Ryogoku Kokugikan here on Sunday.

TOKYO -- The long-sought and awaited debut of ONE Championship in Japan came to fruition yesterday as its “A New Era” event was held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan here.

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- Lucas Bjerregaard fulfilled a childhood dream with his victory over his idol Tiger Woods at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Tournament in Austin, Texas on Saturday.

TOKYO -- Japanese basketball will be represented in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after world basketball governing body FIBA decided to grant it automatic places in various events.

SEAN Micha Aranar and Ana Leonila Nualla led all the qualified dance athletes for the 30^th Southeast Asian Games late this year after topping their respective disciplines in the 2019 DanceSports Council of the Philippines Inc.’s (DSCPI) 1^st quarter ranking and selection recently at the Valle Verde Country Club, Pasig City.

MIAMI -- Ashleigh Barty defeated Karolina Pliskova 7-6(1) 6-3 on Saturday to win her maiden Miami Open title and become the first Australian woman since 2013 to reach the top 10 in the world rankings.

LOS ANGELES -- The team announced Saturday that it will hold out James for the final six games of the regular season to rest a groin injury originally suffered on Christmas Day against the Golden State Warriors.

The Last Two Minute Report has turned four, and still it continues to be a bone of contention for National Basketball Association stakeholders. Conceived by the commissioner’s office as a means to promote regulation transparency and fan engagement, the review process that generates it is automatically triggered when scores are within three points of each other at any instance during the last two minutes -- or, when applicable, overtime -- of a given match. Unfortunately, the rules are so complex and contact between players occurs so often that determination of whether one is legal or not becomes subject and susceptible to bias. It’s why even the application of hindsight gets to be debated.