World chess champion, Magnus Carlsen, has openly accused fellow player, Hans Niemann, of cheating.
According to him, Mr Niemann had “cheated more, and more recently” than he has publicly admitted. Even though he offered no evidence, Mr Carlsen had previously made veiled accusations against Niemann, who beat him this month in a major upset.
Niemann, 19, has however denied cheating in competitive chess and has accused Carlsen of trying to ruin his career. The teenager has admitted cheating online twice, when he was 12 and 16, but has strenuously denied ever cheating over the board, and even said he is willing to play nude to prove his good faith.
The scandal began earlier this month after Mr Carlsen, considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, was defeated by Mr Niemann at the Sinquefield Cup, ending a 53-game unbeaten run in classical chess.
Mr Carlsen subsequently quit the tournament, despite there being six rounds to go, and later tweeted a clip in which football manager José Mourinho is seen saying: “If I speak, I am in big trouble”.
Last week, the pair met again in an online tournament, but Mr Carlsen quit after making only one move – an apparent protest at Mr Niemann’s participation. Mr Carlsen went on to win the tournament, and afterwards noted that he would be saying more about the scandal, adding that he wanted “cheating in chess to be dealt with seriously”.
Cheating row blowing up the chess world
Contained in statement posted to Twitter, Mr Carlsen expressed frustration as he indicated interest in continuing to play chess at the highest level in the best events.
“I believe that cheating in chess is a big deal and an existential threat to the game. I also believe that chess organizers and all those who care about the sanctity of the game we love should seriously consider increasing security measures and methods of cheat detection for over the board chess.”
Magnus Carlsen
Mr Carlsen revealed that he had become suspicious of Mr Niemann because he has made “unusual” progress in recent years. He highlighted that, during their game at the Sinquefield Cup, he felt Mr Niemann “wasn’t tense or even fully concentrating” while outplaying him using the black pieces “in a way I think only a handful of players can do”.
“We must do something about cheating, and for my part going forward, I don’t want to play against people that have cheated repeatedly in the past, because I don’t know what they are capable of doing in the future.”
Magnus Carlsen
Mr Carlsen explained that there was more he wanted to say but couldn’t “without explicit permission from Niemann to speak openly”.
When the controversy erupted earlier this month, Niemann issued a strenuous denial, accusing Carlsen and others of trying to ruin his career.
“If they want me to strip fully naked, I will do it. I don’t care, because I know I am clean. You want me to play in a closed box with zero electronic transmission, I don’t care. I’m here to win and that is my goal regardless.”
Hans Niemann
READ ALSO: Aisha Huang Denied Bail Again
