Chess Power Couple Magnus Carlsen, Ella Victoria Malone Welcome First Child

Legendary chess player Magnus Carlsen and Ella Victoria Malone are now parents! The couple welcomed their first child on September 27. The news was shared by Ella with a picture of Magnus and the baby sleeping soundly next to each other. 

Current World No. 2, Hikaru Nakamura, who is also expecting a child, congratulated the new parents. He posted on X: “Huge congrats to Magnus Carlsen and Ella on the birth of your first baby!”

Thanks❤️ https://t.co/V3nkU0R16J

— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) September 30, 2025

FIDE, the international chess governing body, hilariously congratulated the new parents, writing on social media, "Congratulations. Magnus Carlsen has great genes." The 'genes' reference comes from Sydney Sweeney's latest commercial for American Eagle's jeans.

The jeans reference in this context is also a humorous dig at a past conflict between FIDE and Carlsen. At the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz last year, Carlsen was warned about wearing jeans, which led to a brief dispute.

Who Is Ella Victoria Malone? 

Ella Victoria Malone was born in Hong Kong in 1998 to a Norwegian mother and an American father, giving her a distinctly international upbringing. She received her early education at Uranienborg School in Oslo before pursuing further studies across the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. Prior to her marriage to Magnus Carlsen, she was also a permanent resident of Singapore.

She is also his tournament and media schedule manager. With an impressive rating of 1100 in chess.com, she is more than just being the wife of Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Magnus Carlsen (@magnus_carlsen)

​Malone and Carlsen first appeared publicly as a couple in February 2024 at the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge in Germany. They have since attended several prominent events together, including the Champions Chess Tour Finals in Oslo and the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in New York City in December of that year.

​The couple celebrated their wedding in a picturesque ceremony amidst the snow at the iconic Holmenkollen Chapel in Oslo.

Earlier this year, when being interviewed by the BotezLive YouTube channel, Carlsen was asked if he wanted his children to play chess. To which he responded, “I will not force anything on my kids when that day comes but I think chess is a great game and it’s fun and I think I will at least encourage my kids to test it.”