Current Events > Chess world champion Magnus Carlsen accuses Hans Niemann of cheating

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https://www.npr.org/2022/09/27/1125316142/chess-magnus-carlsen-hans-niemann-cheating

One week after stunning the chess world by resigning from a game after making just one move, reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen has broken his silence to accuse Hans Niemann, 19, of cheating.

Niemann recently acknowledged cheating in the past, but he insists he has been playing by the rules since he was confronted and punished.

Carlsen is not convinced.

"I am not willing to play chess with Niemann," the 31-year-old Norwegian said via Twitter, after stating he believes Niemann "has cheated more and more recently than he has publicly admitted."

Bombshells have rocked elite chess this month

Carlsen's overt accusation is the latest development in a scandal that's been the talk of the chess world since Sept. 4, when Carlsen abruptly withdrew from the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis following a loss to Niemann, of the U.S. At the time, Carlsen issued a cryptic tweet that led many to believe he suspected Niemann of foul play.

As speculation swirled, Niemann admitted in an interview that he had previously cheated by using an electronic device to find the best moves. But he said the incidents took place only when he was 12 and 16, and he maintained that he hasn't cheated since.

Niemann made those comments after Chess.com hit him with a new ban. In response to his remarks, Chess.com said it has sent "detailed evidence" to Niemann "that contradicts his statements regarding the amount and seriousness of his cheating on Chess.com."

Against that backdrop, there was intense interest when Carlsen and Niemann were slated to play a rematch last Monday. But after Niemann made his first move as white, Carlsen responded with a single move as black and then quit.

Carlsen went on to win that tournament, the Julius Baer Generation Cup, on Sunday. He issued his statement about Niemann the next day.

Carlsen's refusal to play Niemann triggered calls for him to explain himself, and for the International Chess Federation to review the case, which Carlsen admits is "unprecedented."

Carlsen explains his suspicions about Niemann

Carlsen, who has dominated world chess for years, provided few new details to support his allegation against Niemann. He said Niemann's global ranking (he's currently at No. 49) has seen "unusual" gains. Carlsen also noted his opponent's demeanor.

When he played Niemann in St. Louis, Carlsen said, "I had the impression that he wasn't tense or even fully concentrating on the game in critical positions, while outplaying me as black in a way I think only a handful of players can do. This game contributed to changing my perspective."

When they played in person on Sept. 4, both players were subjected to a security check using handheld metal detector wands, as video from the event shows.

But Carlsen says chess must toughen its stance against cheating further. And he suggested he might never be able to trust a player if they've cheated in the past, "because I don't know what they are capable of doing in the future."

Carlsen has been accused of not being transparent enough in the past three weeks, fueling drama among chess's top players and prompting questions about how to verify eye-popping performances by young prodigies.

The scandal triggers calls for a clampdown on cheating

On Monday, chess grandmaster Andrew Tang credited Carlsen for airing "an issue the chess community wanted to pretend doesn't exist," suggesting Niemann is not alone in cheating.

When the scandal first erupted, Tang, 22, said he's been waiting to see a reckoning over cheating in online games, adding, "Guess what it still seems pretty easy to get away with and many GMs besides [Hans] have done it!"

For in-person events like the Sept. 4 match, organizers "try to do everything they can" to block cheating, grandmaster Maurice Ashley recently told NPR. But in the open halls where some matches take place, he added, players don't always need a device to gain an unfair edge.

"I know of a situation with a player where the coach had a code for where they stood on the floor," Ashley said, "and they just had to stand in the right place for you to know what piece to move."
If the coach stood in a corner, for instance, that could signal the player to move their bishop.

Such actions damage the sport by undermining trust, Ashley said: "I mean, conspiracies are everywhere now. Everybody's paranoid, and that's not a good place for chess to be at all."

Commenting on the scandal, International Chess Federation Director-General Emil Sutovsky said on Tuesday, "We need to follow procedures. Also we need a social contract, agreeing that cheating, in particular online, will often remain in the gray zone."

It will the federation's job, he said, to navigate that process.

Show me how

This happened 20 years ago. Why a new topic now?

How though? Just spit it out. The longer this drags on, the more salty Magnus looks.

Looks more like a smug prick being a sore loser.

BurmesePenguin posted...

This happened 20 years ago. Why a new topic now?

What?

A lot of these chess pros seem like real douche nozzles

He admitted to cheating in the past, after he was banned for cheating in a some what recent time frame as this article points out.

Its not even farfetched to say he is still cheating. Hard to believe anyone who is capable of logical thought would blame magnus for his own actions.

once a cheater always a cheater, it doesnt take much to come to this conclusion. Just look at any sport or game of a competitive nature with known cheaters and see how many of them turn away from their cheating nature.

MabusIncarnate posted...

A lot of these chess pros seem like real douche nozzles

That's a weird way to say "butt-plug-aficionados"

Rare earth Magnus

I know of a situation with a player where the coach had a code for where they stood on the floor," Ashley said, "and they just had to stand in the right place for you to know what piece to move."
If the coach stood in a corner, for instance,

Well if he's cheating this way, I guess this hypothetical coach could be better than Magnus

But yeah since electronic anal beads is the most plausible explanation we've had so far I'm sceptical

Basically, yeah. Tell me how please. Or at least offer a theory

haloiscoolisbak posted...

Or at least offer a theory

Looks like the running theory is: "He beat me! No one beats me, because I'm the best! He must have cheated!!"

Barber102 posted...

He admitted to cheating in the past, after he was banned for cheating in a some what recent time frame as this article points out.

Its not even farfetched to say he is still cheating. Hard to believe anyone who is capable of logical thought would blame magnus for his own actions.

once a cheater always a cheater, it doesnt take much to come to this conclusion. Just look at any sport or game of a competitive nature with known cheaters and see how many of them turn away from their cheating nature.

Cheating at an in person tournament complete with metal detectors would be like.. significantly harder, no, extremely more hard than cheating at online chess right? So this logic isn't convincing to me

haloiscoolisbak posted...

Cheating at an in person tournament complete with metal detectors would be like.. significantly harder, no, extremely more hard than cheating at online chess right? So this logic isn't convincing to me

This. He doesn't have proof and is merely providing theories. The fact he took this long to accuse his opponent is also horrible.

Basically, fuck Magnus. He's getting old and past his chess prime and won't admit defeat.

Magnus is ugly af and has a giant head

Getting old?

he just seems like a sore loser atm

anyways i had no idea Magnus was only 31!!! i thought he was like 35 years old

i thought chess prime age was 35-40 years old. daamn maybe the kid that btfo'd him is just that good huh

What are the guy's records against other players? Is he consistently top level, or was this an outlier?

Why do we care about chess now?

Ratchetrockon posted...

he just seems like a sore loser atm

anyways i had no idea Magnus was only 31!!! i thought he was like 35 years old

i thought chess's peak age was 35-40 years old. daamn maybe the kid that btfo'd him is just that good huh or magnus is declining a bit faster than normal

Chess peak for top players is usually late 20s-early 30s