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A report claims that chess superstar and five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen was recently humbled by a 9-year-old Bangladeshi.
Magnus Carlsen is a five-time world champion. (AP Photo)
Magnus Carlsen, a five-time world chess champion, is claimed to have lost to a 9-year-old Bangladeshi schoolboy in an online tournament. According to a report in a Bangladeshi daily, coach Naim Haque, a FIDE Master, says that his ward defeated Carlsen- widely acknowledged as one of the greatest chess players of all time.
The alleged match between Carlsen and Ryan Rashid Mugdha – a third-grader from Dhaka – took place on January 18 during a Bullet Brawl game, according to The Business Standard.
As per Naim, he gave his official account on chess.com to Mughda who doesn’t have his own profile or an official title. As luck would have it, the kid got randomly paired with Carlsen.
In the bullet format, players are given just a minute to finish their moves.
‘Accidental Mouse Click’
Carlsen is said to have ended up moving his queen by accidentally clicking on the wrong square and thus giving an opening to Mugdha to go for an unlikely win against the chess superstar.
“I teach Mugdha chess, and he always loves to play online. I let him use my ID, and later, he suddenly called me, saying he had beaten Carlsen. At first, I couldn’t believe it. Then he sent me screenshots and all the game details, and I was amazed,” Naim was quoted as saying by the daily.
Mughda is the current Under-10 junior champion in Bangladesh.
As per the chess.com rules, to take part in the event, a player should be part of their platform’s Verified Titled Players club.
Carlsen recently made the headlines after being disqualified from the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York for violating the competition’s dress code.
Carlsen wore jeans for one of his matches following which he was fined USD 200 and then disqualified for repeated violation.
The 34-year-old then withdrew from the tournament before returning and then jointly claiming the title alongside Ian Nepomniachtchi.
