The Murder of Magnus Carlsen. Can You Solve the Mystery?

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DEDUCTION #1

"One thing is crystal clear to me, Ms. Bristow."

"What, sir?"

"If they ordered wine, they must be allowed to drink it. A careful murderer would not risk such an obvious mistake."

"Makes sense."

Therefore, I deduce that our suspect is over 18 years old.

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THE MYSTERIOUS NOTE

“With that, we can eliminate Mr. Oro from our list of suspects. He is innocent. It is time to focus on the other players."

"Is there anything else I can help with?"

"Yes, Ms. Bristow. I am just wondering why the murderer decided to act here in New Zealand. Doesn't it seem strange to commit a crime in such a peaceful country?"

"Maybe because it is an isolated island, sir. It is far from Europe, far from the United States, far from the usual chess circuit..."

"I see. There is no media pressure or constant attention. Just the players, all together in one place. A perfect scenario for a cold-blooded murder."

"Yes, tournaments like this don't usually happen here. That makes it... easier. To be honest, I had to pay the players huge amounts of money to convince them to come, especially Carlsen. He never liked the idea of playing in New Zealand that much. I think he doesn’t like my country."

What could possibly ever happen on an island like this?

"Hmm, or maybe he was already suspicious of something. Tell me one thing, Ms. Bristow: Which of these players agreed to play for the lowest prize money?"

"It was Mr. Caruana, sir. He said he would play for free, simply because he loves chess."

"What? And didn’t you think that was weird?"

"Slightly, but I never suspected that a murder would happen. If I had known, I would have looked at things differently..."

Suddenly, one of the cleaners runs towards us, holding a small piece of paper.

"Mr. Detective! I think you should see this. We just found this note in Mr. Carlsen’s room."

You open the note. It is typed on a computer. There is no chance to compare calligraphy. There are no signs of any digital prints left behind. Whoever wrote it knew what they were doing. However, the text itself provides a valuable clue.

"Wait, Ms. Bristow, you said none of the players left the hotel last night."

"They didn’t, sir. I think Mr. Carlsen probably declined it."

"So, the initial plan failed..."

"Perhaps he knew it could be a trap?"

"It is possible. So... ‘football’, ‘kilometres’, ‘underground’? Cultural differences. Very interesting!"

"What do you mean?"

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Answer the following question to make your second deduction:

Which of these players does NOT currently represent the country in which he was born?

Gukesh Dommaraju |⠀ Javokhir Sindarov | Alireza Firouzja | Vincent Keymer

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FAILURE

You blundered.

Cultural details can be subtle, but in this case, the clues were all there. You simply failed to connect them.

The investigation loses momentum, and the killer gets away with it.

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DEDUCTION #2

"Don't you see, Ms. Bristow? This is a peculiar vocabulary. An American would be far more likely to say 'soccer', measure distance in miles, and refer to the subway rather than the underground."

"That is brilliant, sir. You are right!"

I deduce that our murderer is not American. At least not by birth!

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THE LAPTOP SECRETS

"That's very unfortunate, sir. Just when we think we are making progress, the person is discarded. Mr. Caruana and Mr. Niemann were supposed to be two of the main suspects."

"Why do you say so?"

"I mean, Caruana lost a World Championship match to the victim. Mr. Carlsen also publicly accused Hans Niemann of cheating. Aren’t those enough reasons to kill someone?"

"I see, but we must focus on the facts, Ms. Bristow. Not on what our childish minds perceive to be the truth. That’s how a real detective works."

"Sorry, I just want it solved..."

This scandal could easily have resulted in murder.

"Then let’s piece together the entire period the victim spent here. When did he arrive in New Zealand?"

"Mr. Carlsen was the last one to arrive, sir. He landed only two hours before the opening ceremony. I thought he would be late and was so relieved when I saw him."

"So last-minute? Did he explain why?"

"He only told me that he had missed his original flight."

"May I check his laptop, Ms. Bristow? I suspect he was hiding something."

I go back to Carlsen’s room and retrieve his laptop. We turn it on and search for his documents together. Everything seems perfectly organized. In a folder labelled 'New Zealand', we find a ticket for a flight scheduled to arrive one day before the event.

"Oh, my God! I know about this flight, sir. The plane had an emergency and nearly crashed on landing. Thankfully, there were no fatalities, but many passengers were injured."

"True, it was all over the newspapers. Do they know what caused the accident?"

"It is still under investigation by the aviation authorities, but now I see that if Mr. Carlsen was supposed to be on board, it can't have been a coincidence."

"Please contact the airline and ask for more details, Miss. But now that we have his laptop, we can take a look at some of these chess studies."

We examine recent studies and find that they were conducted around the time of his estimated death. Solid openings were analyzed, such as the Petrov, Berlin Defense, and Ruy Lopez.

"Doesn’t all this tell you something, Ms. Bristow?"

"What, sir?"

"This murderer has planned everything, perhaps even failed in previous attempts... He is methodical, cold, steady, and sticks to well-established chess lines. These openings are not the choices of a reckless person."

"So, can you eliminate someone?"

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If you want to get closer to the truth, you will have to play it safe.

What is the safest move in the position above? (Black to move)

a6 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀| ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀a5 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀| ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bxh2 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀| ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀g5

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FAILURE

A miscalculation at this stage can be costly… and this one was.

You failed to understand the mind behind the crime. The investigation begins to crumble.

You are no longer in control of the game.

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DEDUCTION #3

"Elementary, my dear Bristow. To me, it is obvious that our killer is a solid player. Definitely not the sort to take risks or put himself in unnecessary danger."

"Yeah, maybe…"

We can rule out Mr. Rapport, who is always looking for chaos and unorthodox openings. The methods don't fit with his personality or playing style.

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DINNER, STREAMS, AND SUSPICIONS

"We are running out of options, sir. There are only three suspects left now."

"Since when is that a bad thing in an investigation, Ms. Bristow? We are getting closer and closer to the truth."

"Yes, but I was sure Rapport was a prime suspect. There is something slightly psychopathic about him."

Wouldn't you be afraid?

"We rely on facts, not feelings, dear lady. Now, let's be practical. Do we know what Mr. Kramnik, Mr. Nakamura, and Mr. Nepomniachtchi were doing last night?"

"I saw them all during dinner, sir. Mr. Nakamura was eating while streaming his chess games. Mr. Kramnik was watching and accusing him of cheating. And Mr. Nepomniachtchi was... wait, I know!"

"You know what?"

"Mr. Nepomniachtchi was talking to Mr. Carlsen about his blunders. I remember it perfectly. They were chatting while eating some fruits."

"Do you think he had any reason to want the victim dead?"

"Yes! He lost a World Championship match to him in 2021. That could have caused some tension between them. He offered Mr. Carlsen some strawberries, kiwis, and bananas."

"Did Mr. Carlsen eat them?"

"Only the strawberries. He said the bananas were too green and that he doesn’t like kiwis. But I checked those bananas later. They were perfectly ripe! Do you think he might have suspected something?"

"Possibly. And after that?"

"They all went to their rooms, sir. I don't know anything else."

"I will bear that in mind. But Ms. Bristow, you said something that piqued my interest. Was Mr. Nakamura streaming even during dinner?"

"Yes, sir. He is addicted to it. He can stream for hours on end."

"So, we have a fairly straightforward way of checking if he is still a suspect. Can you verify whether he was online at the time of death?"

"I don’t know why I didn’t think of that earlier, sir. Let me check!"

I open the browser on the laptop and visit Nakamura’s channel to check his recent live streams.

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If you would like me to show what I can see on the screen, please answer the following question:

Which of these famous streamers has the most followers on Twitch?

GothamChess |⠀ chessbrah | Anna Cramling | BotezLive

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FAILURE

Nakamura was not live-streaming at the time of the crime.

We cannot rule out any of the remaining suspects.

Overwhelmed by the choices, your mind breaks down, and the killer escapes unscathed.

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DEDUCTION #4

I show you the screen, which proves that Nakamura was broadcasting live and being watched by thousands of people at the time of Carlsen's death.

"This makes our lives much simpler, Ms. Bristow."

"I guess so. Very convenient."

If Mr. Nakamura was streaming, it is clear that he couldn't have been killing Mr. Carlsen at the same time.

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THE MISSING PIECE

"So, it was either Kramnik or Nepomniachtchi, sir. Those methodical Russians!"

"Yes, but we need to find out who was more likely to do it. I feel like we are still missing a piece of the puzzle."

"Should I take another look in their rooms, sir?"

"Please do so, Ms. Bristow. We can't let the murderer get away now that we are so close."

I go upstairs and come back in a few minutes. I look pleased, as though I have (literally) found the missing piece.

"I couldn't find anything in their rooms, sir, but I found this in the corridor!"

"A missing chess piece? That's interesting; let's check that out. It could be the key to solving this mystery."

We examine the white knight until we realize, in shock, that it opens from the bottom. Inside, we find a small note.

"Hidden inside a horse. Like the Trojan Horse! A Greek gift. What a creative and smart killer, isn't he, sir?"

"Very much, Miss. Very much."

"Scary..."

"It is. Anyway, Ms. Bristow, don't you find anything strange about this note?"

"What do you mean, sir? This analogy with the dragon and the knight? It is probably just a malicious joke because Magnus Carlsen hates the Sicilian Dragon opening. He told me that once. No idea why... it is a great defense and..."

"I don’t mean that, Miss. There is another issue. A big issue."

"I fail to see that, sir."

"The second part really caught my attention. He talks about being 'knocked out' of a Candidates Tournament. Well, that event has been played in a round-robin format for years."

I freeze for a moment as it clicks. My eyes widen as I notice that this is something I hadn't paid attention to.

"That’s true! How could I have missed that?"

"A good detective is always attentive, Ms. Bristow."

"But that leaves me with more questions than answers, sir. We have a clue, but I cannot work anything out of it. So, who killed Magnus Carlsen?"

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To make your final deduction, answer the following:

In which of these years was the Candidates Tournament played as a knockout event?

1950 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀| ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀1962 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀| ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀1974 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀| ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀2013

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FAILURE

This was your final chance, and you missed it.

The contradiction was there. The flaw in the logic. The missing piece.

But you failed to see beyond the obvious. The investigation collapses entirely.

And the truth... remains hidden forever.

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DEDUCTION #5

"I have some good and some bad news, Ms. Bristow. The good news is that this note reveals something important."

"Yes?"

Anyone who has played in it before would never make such mistake. The killer has clearly never played in a Candidates Tournament!

"But, sir, if that is the case... then there is no one left."

"I know..."

A long silence fills the room.

"That’s the bad news, Miss. Something is wrong!"

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STALEMATE

"I don’t understand, sir. If nobody is the murderer, do you think Mr. Carlsen committed suicide?"

"No, it cannot be that simple. What am I missing? Let’s review what we know.

The murderer is over 18 years old.
Not American by birth.
Plays solid lines and doesn't like chaos on the board.
Was not streaming during the murder.
Has never played in a Candidates Tournament.

And yet, none of our suspects fit all these conditions."

"Could any of the deductions have been wrong, sir?"

You seem frustrated and slightly annoyed with yourself.

"It's impossible! My methods are perfect. I can certainly rule them all out."

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To understand what went wrong, your chess brain will have to operate at its very limit. Solve the position below to uncover the truth and find the murderer.

What is the best move for White?

Kf1 (Mate in 2) | Kf1 (Mate in 3) | Rh5+ (Mate in 2) | Rh5+ (Mate in 3)

Qe3 (Mate in 2) | Qe3 (Mate in 3) | Qb2 (Mate in 2) | Qb2 (Mate in 3)

Be5 (Mate in 2) | Be5 (Mate in 3)

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TRUTH REVEALED

"Then have we been looking at the wrong list of suspects all along? Perhaps we are overlooking someone... Maybe one of the staff members? But they don't play chess and don't even know who Carlsen is."

"No! That’s the work of a chess mind. It was undoubtedly someone who plays it."

"I get it, sir, but I think we forgot one person."

"Who?"

"I don’t know... maybe someone who always had access to Mr. Carlsen throughout the event. Someone who could control the crime scene and manipulate the facts the whole time. Someone who had the time to plan every step and knows the venue perfectly. Someone present at every stage of the investigation. Someone who had access to all the information you received."

"Ms. Bristow, what are you insinuating?"

"It is simple, Mr. Genius Detective. You trusted me to guide your investigation. Every clue you received came through me. So, tell me... who have you never questioned?"

You freeze. And then finally start to see what was right under your nose.

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CLICK HERE TO REVEAL THE MURDERER

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Vanessa Bristow (VOB96)

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⇒ Proceed with clarifications

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TRUTH DISCOVERED

"No, Ms. Bristow! That’s the work of a chess mind. It was undoubtedly someone who plays it. And I have finally found the missing piece."

"Really?"

"Yes... Now everything you told me falls into place."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that the murderer's profile can only be as follows:

Someone who always had access to Mr. Carlsen throughout the event.
Someone who could control the crime scene and manipulate the facts the whole time.
Someone who had the time to plan every step and knows the venue perfectly.
Someone present at every stage of the investigation.
Someone who had access to all the information I received.

And who fits that, miss?"

"Mr. Detective, what are you insinuating?"

"It is simple, Ms. Bristow. I trusted you to guide my investigation. Every clue I received came through you. So, I asked myself... who have I never questioned?"

I freeze. For the first time... I have nothing to say.

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CLICK HERE TO REVEAL THE MURDERER

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You already know it...

Vanessa Bristow (VOB96)

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⇒ Proceed with explanations

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CHECKMATE

"YOU???"

"Yes, me! You didn't see it coming... did you?" I say with a malicious, cruel smile on my lips.

"But... How? When? Why?"

"Think about it for a moment...

Did you really think that Caruana agreed to play for free?

Or that the wine was truly Argentinian?

That this laptop here even belonged to Carlsen? Dear Lord..."

You look shocked, unable to believe what you’re hearing, but I move on.

Scenes from last night.

"Who here plays chess and fits all the conditions? Who else could cause a plane crash on Carlsen’s original flight, if not the air traffic controller guiding its landing?

What motive could I have had? Do you need more, apart from the fact that Carlsen had never played in New Zealand, not even once? Or that he doesn’t like Kiwis? Or perhaps also because he doesn't play my favorite defense, the Sicilian Dragon?

Can you imagine how frustrating all that is? Especially for someone as passionate about chess as I am... to see their greatest idol despise their country, their beloved opening, and everything that symbolizes us? How much longer do you think I could put up with that?"

You try to gasp an answer, but the words don't come.

"That’s why I organized this event. A perfect trap to lure Carlsen here and give him what he deserves!"

I had been planning it for months.

"Ms. Bristow, what are you doing? Please, let’s talk."

"And why did I bring you here? Because it is your turn now... You, who once read my blog and didn't leave a comment. Did you think I would forget that? My revenge is complete. I am getting rid of you, too!"

"Please, no!"

And now I have checkmated you...

Your game is over!

Because this game is impossible to win.

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⇒ Try to catch me this time (Yes it, is possible)

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CHECKMATE

"ME???"

"Yes, you! Did you really think you could hide it from me, lady?"

"You are crazy!"

"No, I am not. Think about it for a moment...

Why should I believe that Mr. Caruana really agreed to play for free?

How do I know whether the wine was truly Argentinian?

And this laptop here? I don't think it has ever belonged to Mr. Carlsen..."

I look shocked, unable to believe how easily you are reading me.

Scenes from last night.

"Who here plays chess and fits all the conditions? Who else could cause a plane crash on Carlsen’s original flight, if not the air traffic controller guiding its landing?

What motive could you have had? I can guess some of them... perhaps the fact that Carlsen had never played in New Zealand, for example? Or that he doesn’t like Kiwis? Or also because he doesn't play your favorite defense, the Sicilian Dragon?

I understand everything now, Ms. Bristow. For someone as passionate about chess as you are, it must have been unbearable to see your greatest idol despise your country, your beloved opening, and everything that symbolizes you. You could no longer put up with that. Am I right?"

I try to gasp an answer, but the words don't come.

"That’s why you organized this event. A perfect trap to lure Carlsen here and make him pay for all that."

I had been planning it for months.

"Mr. Detective, what are you saying? Please, let’s talk."

"I don't negotiate with murderers, Ms. Bristow. And I know perfectly well why you brought me here. Because I am known as the best chess detective in the world. You wanted to make me look like a fool... to show that you were smarter than me, didn’t you? But you have lost. The police are already on their way, and your place is behind bars!"

"Please, no!"

Ok, I admit it, you have outplayed me...

It is game over!

I thought this game was impossible to win. But you found all the moves.

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