Kazakhstan’s 23-year-old grandmaster from Pavlodar Alisher Suleymenov achieved a remarkable victory by defeating the reigning World Champion, Magnus Carlsen, in the second round of the Qatar Masters Open, QazMonitor reports.
The game reached a conclusion when the Norwegian player stopped the clock on the 31st move, thus acknowledging his defeat.
Alisher Suleymenov currently holds the 528th position in the FIDE world ranking. He has previously represented the national team at the Chess Olympiad in 2022, and his accomplishments include winning a bronze medal at the Asian Chess Championship.
The Qatar Masters Open is one of the world’s most prestigious open chess tournaments, welcoming players with a minimum rating of 2300. This year, 252 chess players from 44 countries, including over 60 grandmasters, are participating in the tournament. The tournament, which commenced on October 11, boasts the presence of such distinguished grandmasters as Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and several other renowned figures in the chess world. The tournament's prize fund amounts to $108,250.
The Kazakh national team in Qatar also includes Rinat Jumabayev, Bibisara Assaubayeva, Kazybek Nogerbek, and Alua Nurmanova.
