Young Suleymenov stuns former champion Carlsen

Kazak GM Alishar Suleymenov on Thursday stunned world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen on day two of the $120,000 Qatar Masters at Lusail Sports Arena. The 23-year-old, who received the Grandmaster title only this year, exhibited a calm exterior. Suleymenov produced a slick game with the white pieces to shock 2015 Qatar champion and late seemed lost for words after the biggest win of his career."I don’t know what to say honestly. I still can’t believe what happened. It’s unreal. I am in shock,” Suleymenov said on Thursday. "In the first game, I was dreaming about this joy, about this fantastic result. I talked to my coach. He told me don’t think about the win, a draw would be fantastic. And he told me to play according to positions,” he added.Carlsen, 32, was irked by the loss. "I was completely crushed in my game on Friday. This is not to accuse my opponent of anything, who played an amazing game and deserved to win, but honestly, as soon as I saw my opponent was wearing a watch early in the game, I lost my ability to concentrate,” the five-time world champion said.Just three days ago, Carslen along with India’s GM Raunak Sadhwani guided Offerspill to European Chess Club Cup glory in Durress, Albania.In other results, World No.4 Hikaru Nakamura of the US on Thursday beat Changren Dai of China while Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov drew with Iran’s Seyed Khalil Mousavi. India’s Arjun Erigaisi, 20, on Thursday beat Uzbekistan’s Abdimalik Abdisalimov while Iranian Grandmaster Parham Maghsoodloo was stunned by Uzbekistan Mukhiddin Madaminov.Indian Grandmaster Gukesh D proved too good for compatriot Avinash Ramesh, while another India’s Vaishali Rameshbabu shocked Grandmaster S P Sethuraman.Qatar’s International Master Hussein Aziz, ranked 141st in the tournament, lost his second game in a row – this time against Rafael Lagunow of Germany. Aziz lost to Mukhiddin Madaminov of Uzbekistan on Wednesday.Meanwhile, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said he is excited to see the return of the Qatar Masters after an eight-year hiatus. The championship has attracted over 250 male and female players from 45 countries.Dvorkovich said the staging of the Qatar Masters is important for the development of chess in the country. He noted that the tournament attracts some of the best players in the world and that it provides a platform for young and emerging players to compete against top-ranked opponents.Dvorkovich also praised the Qatar Chess Association (QCA) for its efforts in organizing the championship. He said QCA had done ‘an excellent job of organising the Qatar Masters in the past (2014 and 2015)’.The Russian said he remains confident that the on-going edition of the Qatar Masters will be another success story. He expects the tournament to be highly competitive and he is excited to see who will emerge victorious. "Overall, the Qatar Masters is an important event for the sport of chess. The tournament is also a valuable learning experience for young players, and it helps to raise the profile of chess in Qatar and in the region,” he added.Meanwhile, in the Qatar Masters ‘B’ Championship, is witnessing the participation of 94 players who are ranked under 2,300 points.Qatari’s Tamim Al Ghanim defeated his Tunisian counterpart, Ismail Tarhan, and Ahmed Saif defeated teammate Kholoud Al Khulaifi. Mohammed Al Qasabi also defeated his Qatar teammate Fatima Al Hammadi, while Fahd Al Mansouri shared points with Turki Al Kuwari.Pakistan’s International Master Lodhi Mahmood, who beat India’s Pranav Pradeep Nair, topped the table at the end of the second round.