"Not taking anti-cheating seriously" - Magnus Carlsen vents out after loss to Alisher Suleymenov, says loss could be attributed to opponent's watch

Despite being the world's top-ranked chess player, Magnus Carlsen recently endured a shocking loss to Kazakhstan's 23-year-old Grandmaster, Alisher Suleymenov. Suleymenov's FIDE rating stands at approximately 2515 – a considerable 300 points below Carlsen's.

Carlsen has now raised some eyebrows following his latest X posts. On his X account, the part-time streamer stated that a contributing factor to his loss was his inability to concentrate. He claimed that his opponent's analog watch was a distracting element.

While clarifying that he wasn't making any cheating allegations against Alisher, Carlsen expressed his disappointment in the organizers (Qatar Masters 2023) for failing to enforce the rules, pointing out that FIDE explicitly prohibits the use of watches during tournaments. He stated:

"It’s also incredibly frustrating to see organisers still not taking anti-cheating seriously at all."

Magnus accuses organizers of not properly following rules (Image via X)

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Magnus Carlsen rants on X following loss to young GM, says his "watch distracted him

Magnus Carlsen, often regarded as one of the greatest chess players of all time, doesn't frequently suffer losses, particularly in longer matches. However, he recently endured defeat at the hands of a young and promising Grandmaster.

Following his loss, Carlsen wrote on X:

"As soon as I saw my opponent was wearing a watch early in the game, I lost my ability to concentrate."

Norwegian Chess Grandmaster blames watch for his loss (Image via X)

The streamer further disclosed that he had, indeed, lodged a complaint with the arbiter regarding the wristwatch but received a negative response:

"I did ask an arbiter during the game whether watches were allowed, and he clarified that smartwatches were banned, but not analog watches."

Magnus reveals complaining to the arbiter (Image via X)

It's important to highlight that the FIDE rule book explicitly prohibits the use of accessories, including wristwatches, whether they are digital or analog:

FIDE rule book prohibits wristwatches of any kind (Image via GothamChess)

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What did the community say?

As one of the most prominent figures in the world of chess, Magnus Carlsen's comments have garnered plenty of responses. Grandmaster and Twitch streamer Hikaru "GMHikaru" offered his perspective, stating:

GMHikaru is critical of Magnus' complaints (Image via X)

On the other hand, fellow Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave expressed his support by saying:

MVL voices his support (Image via X)

YouTuber and streamer Levy "GothamChess" has also responded with a video, labeling it as a new chess scandal:

This, of course, isn't an out-and-out cheating allegation, but Magnus Carlsen did not hide his accusations when it came to his loss against fellow Grandmaster and streamer Hans Niemann. Read about the entire controversy by clicking here.