Qatar Masters: Suleymenov crushes Carlsen, Carlsen questions organizers

In a shocking development, 23-year-old Kazakh GM Alisher Suleymenov (rated 2512) defeated Magnus Carlsen in round 2 of the Qatar Masters — it was a crushing 31-move victory. Carlsen later shared some concerns on his X account, noting that it is “incredibly frustrating to see organisers still not taking anti-cheating seriously at all”, as he had been distracted by Suleymenov’s playing with an analogous watch. Carlsen clarified that he was not accusing his opponent of cheating. | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy