File photo of Magnus Carlsen.© FIDE
Bangladesh FIDE Master Naim Haque has made a sensational claim regarding world number one Magnus Carlsen. According to him, a nine-year-old boy named Ryan Rashid Mugdha defeated Carlsen in an online chess tournament. As per him, it happened during a Bullet Brawl game on Chess.com on Saturday when Carlsen was playing against an account that had the name ‘Nayemhaque22’. While the five-time world champion resigned after 50 moves, Haque has said that it was Mugdha, who was playing the game from his account against the chess legend. Carlsen has not reacted to it yet.
Notably, the bullet chess game is a format which gives players just one minute to complete their moves.
“He (Ryan Rashid Mugdha) couldn’t play (in Bullet Brawn) because he doesn’t have a title. So I gave my Chess.com id. He played and beat 5-time world champion and current number 1 chess player in all three formats, Magnus Carlsen,” said FIDE Master Haque in a social media post as claimed by The Indian Express. A FIDE Master (FM) is a title given to chess players by the world body. It’s the third-highest title in chess, after Grandmaster and International Master.
Meanwhile, Mugdha also gave an interview to Bangladeshi media outlet Business Standard and talked about the match in detail.
“The bullet format is my favourite. I love the urgency it brings-you have to think and act very quickly. When I realised I was matched with Carlsen, I was starstruck, but I didn’t back down. After he made a mistake with his queen, I knew I was in a strong position. I played naturally, just as I would against any opponent,” he said.
Meanwhile, coach Haque said, “When Mugdho got his FIDE rating at five, it was a world record at the time. That record was later broken, but it remains a significant achievement.”
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