{"id":389871,"date":"2026-04-09T13:19:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/389871\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T13:19:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:19:10","slug":"chess-grandmaster-smiles-for-selfie-with-opponent-but-reports-her-for-having-phone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/389871\/","title":{"rendered":"Chess grandmaster smiles for selfie with opponent but reports her for having phone"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Kazakhstan\u2019s 18-year-old grandmaster Alua Nurman takes a selfie with the world\u2019s No 1 chess player Magnus Carlsen.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/a90ed37f-9874-45b1-9f7b-d5e9460da829.jpg\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"100%\" data-testid=\"article-image\"  \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_caption1 indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_secondary indo-66f0fec7_regular indo-1d70522a_marginbottom0 indo-1d70522a_marginleft0 indo-1d70522a_marginright0 indo-1d70522a_margintop3 indo-b48c4984_left\" style=\"color:var(--color-grey-60)\">Kazakhstan\u2019s 18-year-old grandmaster Alua Nurman takes a selfie with the world\u2019s No 1 chess player Magnus Carlsen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom0 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">The world\u2019s No 1 chess player, Magnus Carlsen, reported an opponent for having a phone moments after he agreed to take a selfie with her before an official match.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Carlsen, the five-time world champion, faced Kazakhstan\u2019s 18-year-old grandmaster Alua Nurman at a freestyle chess tournament in Germany, the Grenke Chess Festival.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">As the players sat down to begin the match, Nurman took out her phone and asked Norway\u2019s Carlsen for a picture, with the 35-year-old smiling for the selfie over the chess board.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Video from the event, however, showed that Carlsen stepped away from the board to inform an official that Nurman had a phone in her possession. The official then came across and confiscated Nurman\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Being in possession of a phone during an official match is against the rules, as it could be used to cheat &#8211; either by looking up moves online or by receiving hidden messages and possible signals through the phone\u2019s vibration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">There was no suggestion that Carlsen reported Nurman for cheating or the 18-year-old used her phone illegally. The world No 1 was praised by some fans for reporting Nurman before the match started, rather than her possibly facing disqualification later.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Carlsen went on to win the match but Nurman finished second in the women\u2019s category. She said she was inspired by another grandmaster who took a selfie with Carlsen before a match last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">\u201cWhen I saw the pairings, I was out of my mind,\u201d she told ChessBase India. \u201cLast year [French grandmaster] Etienne Bacrot also took a selfie. I thought like, why not? I\u2019m very grateful that Magnus agreed to this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Carlsen responded to the incident by also telling ChessBase India: \u201cIt\u2019s alright for me. I won both the games so I\u2019m not complaining.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kazakhstan\u2019s 18-year-old grandmaster Alua Nurman takes a selfie with the world\u2019s No 1 chess player Magnus Carlsen. 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