Magnus Carlsen Agrees to Pre-Game Selfie, Then Calls Arbiter to Remove Opponent’s Phone
A lighthearted moment before the board turned heads at the Grenke Chess Freestyle Open in Karlsruhe, Germany, during the tournament’s second round.
Alua Nurman, an 18-year-old Woman Grandmaster, was up against world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and before the game began, she seized her chance, asking him for a selfie. Carlsen obliged, smiled for the camera, and gave her a memory she’ll likely carry for a while. What followed, however, was less expected.
Moments before play commenced, Carlsen stepped away and returned with a tournament arbiter, requesting that Nurman’s phone be taken out of the playing area. The move looked abrupt on the surface, but it was firmly within the rulebook.
Lady took a selfie with Magnus Carlsen before the match began. In response, Magnus Carlsen reported his opponent to the referee, leading to her phone being confiscated 😠pic.twitter.com/pqNcMZBrI6
— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) April 4, 2026
FIDE regulations prohibit players from keeping mobile phones or any electronic devices in the playing hall without explicit arbiter approval a rule designed to prevent cheating. Possession alone can constitute a violation.
This wasn’t Carlsen’s first such intervention. At a previous edition of the same event, French Grandmaster Etienne Bacrot had approached him for a pre-game selfie. Carlsen’s response then: call an arbiter and have Bacrot’s wristwatch flagged, which can also fall under restricted items depending on tournament conditions.
Both incidents paint a consistent picture Carlsen draws a hard line between pleasantries and play.
The brief interruption did nothing to disrupt his rhythm. Carlsen went on to defeat Maxime Lagarde in the following round, continuing the kind of dominant form that saw him post a perfect score at the previous edition of this event. The defending champion, by all indications, is once again the man to beat in Karlsruhe.