14 hours ago
4
ARTICLE AD BOX
3 min readApr 5, 2026 01:36 PM IST
Nurman, second only behind Bibisara Assaubayeva in Kazakhstan, was already seated when Carlsen turned up to play against her and the duo shook hands. Nurman then asked for a selfie. (Credit: Alua Nurman Instagram)
Kazakh women’s No 2 Alua Nurman was up against Magnus Carlsen at the Grenke Chess Festival, a FIDE event at Karlsruhe, where the likes of Ian Nepomniachtchi, Levon Aronian, Vincent Keymer, Artur Yusupov, and Hans Nieman also participated. It was a Swiss format with freestyle time control.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO
The chess festival sees more than 3,500 participants across all sections, and is the largest chess tournament in the world. In the Freestyle Open A, a prize fund of €205,250 is at stake, including €60,000 for first place.
Nurman, second only behind Bibisara Assaubayeva in Kazakhstan, was already seated when Carlsen turned up to play against her and the duo shook hands. Nurman then asked for a selfie.
According to a video posted by ChessBase’s Abhudaya Ram, Nurman then proceeds to request for a selfie, which Carlsen obliges with a big broad smile. He returns the phone which Nurman returns to her handbag.
Carlsen then walks up to the arbiter who comes over, and requests Nurman to submit the phone. She hands it over.
Carlsen, who has had massive issues with opponents over cheating in chess, which has led to stringent measures being adopted, followed the correct protocol, by getting the arbiter to take away the phone. As per FIDE rules, had Nurman won the match, and been found with a phone on her person, she could’ve been expelled from the event even.
A controversy was averted, though Carlsen copped social media criticism for ‘snitching’ and ‘beta’ behaviour. Nurman, who might only have been a fan of the legend, looking for a selfie, however was required to not keep her phone while playing, unless the arbiter permitted. In this case, he didn’t.
Story continues below this ad
At the event from April 2-6, Germany’s number one chess player Vincent Keymer and Hans Niemann (USA) led the Freestyle Chess Open A with a perfect score of 5/5 after five rounds. They were due to face each other in Round 6 in a direct clash for the sole lead.
The internet was filled with videos showing Niemann and Carlsen crossing each other when pacing the floor.
In the competition, a group of six players followed on 4.5/5, including world number one Magnus Carlsen with only one player, German grandmaster Daniel Hausrath, currently ranked outside the world’s top 1000, among the elite.
Sunday’s round 6 and 7 will decide the structure at the top, with the leaders meeting and the chasing group paired against each other. The winner of the Freestyle Open A qualifies for the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2027. At the same time, the race for three qualification spots for the FIDE Women’s Freestyle Chess World Championship is underway.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
English (US) ·