A top global chess official is calling for more research into whether factors like hormone levels and physical endurance might have an impact on players’ abilities at the game, which remains overwhelmingly a preserve of men

Belgian cycling star Remco Evenepoel took a swing at his critics on Tuesday as he announced he was back in training nine days after abandoning the Giro d'Italia with Covid even...

The playoff-chasing Texas Rangers got a boost with the return of two All-Star players to their starting lineup

Lionel Messi was once again lauded as the “best in the world” by his teammates after his scintillating start to life at Inter Miami continued as the club picked up their first piece of silverware after a Leagues Cup victory against Nashville. The Argentine opened the scoring with a superb left-footed curling effort from outside the box before Miami were pegged back and sent to penalties after a second-half strike from Fafa Picault. After a drawn-out shootout, it was Miami who would eventually emerge victorious when Drake Callender saved his opposite number’s spot kick to secure a 10-9 victory. “It’s a huge honour to play a role in our first win in a final,” Callender said speaking after the match. "It’s pretty surreal. Very emotional. This team works so hard day-in, day-out to be able to perform like this on a night like this. And to have it come down to the very end, it was amazing to see the grit, just the belief of what we’re capable of. It’s something special and I’m just blessed to be a part of it.” The victory also serves as another reminder of the remarkable transformation in the team’s fortunes since Messi’s arrival. Rock bottom when he joined, the 36-year-old has scored 10 goals in just seven games, leading his team on an unbeaten run which saw them capture the club’s first silverware. Mess’s former Barcelona teammates - Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets - have reuinted with the Argentine in Miami, with the latter lauding him for his influence on the side. "We have infected the team with our spirit, our work, our character and experience,” the Spaniard said after the game. “We are making a solid team and then we have Leo [Messi], who makes a difference because he’s the best in the world. "I am very happy to win our first title in just one month, the club’s first. The team is growing by leaps and bounds and we are very happy." The result also serves as vindication for co-owner David Beckham who spent a great deal of time convincing Messi to make the move and join his team in MLS. “A lot can happen in five weeks,” Beckham joked after the victory. “A lot has changed for us, we will enjoy tonight and then we have to look to the future and continue to build. “We have some of the best players, if not the best player, in the world out there for us wearing pink. We have a bunch of academy players out there too and that is incredibly important. “It’s an emotional night for all of us. It has been a long journey for me. It has been a long journey, I always knew there would be bumps in the road along the way and there was too many, to be honest. Tonight is a night we are going to enjoy. “People ask ‘is it a fix?’ and it is the biggest compliment you can give these players because it is like a movie. You watch them play and it is emotional. Everything about their play is beautiful.”

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said his side showed they can compete in the Champions League after a 2-2 draw against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, despite failing to end a decade-long wait...

The Buffalo Bills replenished their running back depth by signing Leonard Fournette to their practice squad

Real Madrid have completed the loan signing of veteran Spanish striker Joselu, a week after Karim Benzema’s equally surprising departure. Formerly a youngster in the Real Madrid B team who played just twice for the senior side over a decade ago under Jose Mourinho, the Stuttgart-born 33-year-old has since gone on to play for the likes of Hoffenheim and Alaves, while also spending three years in England. Joselu signed for Stoke City in 2015 but played just one season there before a loan back in Spain, thereafter signing for Newcastle in 2017 and spending two seasons in the north east. A return to Spain saw him show his most consistent form as he approached 30 years of age, however, with three seasons at Alaves returning a double-figures goal tally each season. That all led to a career-best season last year after signing for Espanyol. Joselu finished as LaLiga’s third-highest goalscorer with 16 to his name, culminating in winning four caps for the Spanish national team - scoring three times - including an appearance in Sunday’s Uefa Nations League shootout triumph over Croatia where he netted his nation’s first penalty. Despite his efforts in front of goal, Espanyol were relegated from the top flight - but Joselu will be staying put, after now sealing a season-long loan to the Santiago Bernabeu club, who finished second. Real also have a reported option to buy him at the end of the season, with Joselu’s contract at Espanyol running until 2025. Los Blancos had been linked with a move for PSG star Kylian Mbappe, who has informed his club he will not sign a contract extension. But Real club president Florentino Perez was recorded signing autographs for supporters over the weekend when one asked about Joselu’s arrival and any more potential signings, with Perez suggesting there would be no further incomings across the summer. That follows the big-money signing of Jude Bellingham last week, bolstering Real’s midfield for the immediate- and long-term. In related news, Carlo Ancelotti is expected to take over as Brazil’s national team manager when his contract expires next month, with multiple reports claiming he’ll sign a contract to do so once he enters the final six months of his Real Madrid deal, per Fifa rules. Read More On this day in 2003: Man Utd accept £25m bid from Real Madrid for David Beckham Transfer rumours: Tottenham make £50m double bid for Leicester pair Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr chosen to lead new Fifa anti-racism committee

Josh Bell homered off an “Ohio” sign beyond the left-field wall and Myles Straw hit an RBI triple, leading the Cleveland Guardians to a 6-1 win and three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics, who lost their eighth straight

Colin Cowherd actually mentioned the late Dwayne Haskins as a former first-round quarterback who cannot win a Super Bowl...Where Colin was wrong...It is only Tuesday, Aug. 8, and we have just come across the worst segment national sports punditry will bequeath to us for the entire month. FS1...

Max Verstappen delighted his home crowd by taking pole position for Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix. In an incident-packed wet-dry session, the unstoppable double world champion delivered a crushing lap to finish half-a-second clear of Lando Norris, who qualified second for McLaren. George Russell will start from third place for Mercedes with the impressive Alex Albon fourth. Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q2 and will line up from only 13th spot in Zandvoort. “It was a very tricky qualifying session,” said Verstappen. “It was all about putting your laps in and staying out of trouble and we managed that quite well. “The pressure is always there to perform but when you pull it off it’s incredible.” Q3 was red-flagged twice. First when Logan Sargeant crashed out in his Williams. The American rookie lost control of his machine on the entry to Turn 2, sending him into the gravel and then the tyre wall. Sargeant, 22, emerged unscathed from the accident but the force of the impact contributed to significant damage on the front of his machine. The running was suspended for 20 minutes as Sargeant’s stricken Williams was removed and the barriers were repaired. A dry line had emerged and it was Norris who put his McLaren at the top of the order before Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari into the wall. Leclerc carried too much speed into the ninth bend and ran onto the grass and then into the Armco. A six-minute stoppage followed with just four minutes and five seconds left on the clock, with Norris hoping to hold on to claim only his second career pole. Norris said: “Every now and then you hope Max makes a mistake, but he doesn’t, so frustrating in a little way. But I’m very happy. The team did a good job and I will take P2.” Russell, seven tenths behind Verstappen, said: “We are in a great place tomorrow to battle for a podium. “I’m sure Max will have his Sunday drive and be waving to the crowd but I hope to have a good fight with Lando, Alex and the rest of the boys.” But Verstappen delivered an emphatic answer by racing to top spot with his final lap to huge roars from the Orange Army. On Sunday, he will bid to match Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive wins. Hamilton revealed in the build-up to Sunday’s race that his goal for the second half of the season was to take runner-up spot in the championship. But on Formula One’s return from its summer slumber, the seven-time world champion – who is currently fourth in the standings – will start way down the order following a disappointing qualifying session. The British driver, 38, appeared to be impeded by AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda on his final run in Q2 and failed to deliver a time speedy enough to progress. The stewards have noted the incident, but Hamilton, 41 points adrift of Sergio Perez, who is currently best of the rest behind team-mate Verstappen, now faces an uphill task to salvage a respectable result. Fernando Alonso qualified fifth for Aston Martin, one place ahead of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, with Perez only seventh, 1.3 seconds behind team-mate Verstappen. Liam Lawson has been handed his F1 debut here as a substitute for Daniel Ricciardo. The 34-year-old Australian suffered a broken left wrist in a practice crash on Friday and has been ruled out of this weekend’s race with the prospect of missing further rounds, too. In Ricciardo’s absence, New Zealander Lawson, 21, will start his maiden F1 race from 20th and last. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen is one of the best drivers in F1 history – Lando Norris Daniel Ricciardo ruled out of Dutch Grand Prix after breaking wrist in practice Daniel Ricciardo to miss Dutch Grand Prix after suffering broken wrist in crash