Free Republic

A Dutch cheese has claimed top honours at one of the world’s most respected dairy competitions, winning the title of World Champion Cheese 2026 in a field of thousands of international entries. Beemster Royaal Grand Cru, a rich, cow’s‑milk cheese produced by CONO Kaasmakers in Westbeemster, The Netherlands, was named the best cheese in the world at the World Championship Cheese Contest in Madison, Wisconsin, this week. With an outstanding score of 98.68 out of 100, the cheese topped a competitive field of 3,375 entries from 25 countries and 34 U.S. states. The World Championship Cheese Contest, organised by the...

USA Hockey won its first gold medal at the IIHF World Championship in 92 years Sunday in Stockholm, Sweden, defeating Switzerland 1-0 behind a lone goal in overtime from Tage Thompson. The victory marked the Team USA's first world championship since 1933. Thompson, a current member of the Buffalo Sabres and former first-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in 2016, buried a wrist shot past Switzerland goalie Leonardo Genoni's blocker just two minutes into overtime. Logan Cooley and Brady Skjei were credited with assists on the golden goal. USA had not even appeared in the world championships final since...

Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju capped a stunning ascent to the pinnacle of chess by dethroning China’s Ding Liren to become the youngest ever world champion on Thursday in Singapore. The 18-year-old from Chennai dramatically snatched the decisive victory from a dead-drawn position in the final contest of their best-of-14-games showdown when Ding made one of the worst blunders in the 138-year history of world championship matchplay. The 32-year-old defending champion resigned moments later after a game that lasted 58 moves and just over four hours, sealing Gukesh’s 7½-6½ win in the three-week match and rendering moot the widely expected prospect...

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- It's the NBA Finals, and that means Phil Jackson digs into his personal jewelry box for a championship ring to inspire his players. Jackson sported the 2001 ring won by the Los Angeles Lakers on his right pinkie Thursday. A bit gaudy perhaps, but the 58-year-old coach with nine titles to his credit is following a personal tradition. "The stuff has just snowballed. I can't stop to absorb it all," he said of the staggering success he's experienced as an NBA coach. Jackson has been called lucky to have coached the likes of Michael Jordan and...