By: Annie Li

After making one move, chess champion Magnus Carlsen forfeited to his opponent Hans Niemann. A week after, Carlsen accused Niemann of cheating. Niemann admitted to cheating in the past, but only online, around ages 12 and 16. He says he hasn’t cheated since.

Preceding his resignation, Carlsen pulled out of the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis after losing to Niemann. He then posted a cryptic tweet that led many to believe that he suspected Niemann of foul play. In an interview, Niemann admitted to his past involvement in cheating, however this was after he was banned from Chess.com. In response, Chess.com sent Niemann evidence that contradicts what he said about his past cheating instances.

Carlsen and Niemann had their rematch, the one in which Carlsen pulled out, on September 19th at the Julius Baer Generation Cup. He ended up winning the tournament.

At the Sinquefield Cup, Carlsen explained his misgivings about his opponent. “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.” He also noted Niemann’s sudden rise in the global ranking. (Niemann now stands at No. 49)

Carlsen says that chess must crack down on cheating. However, he has been criticized for not being transparent enough. Grandmaster Andrew Tang commends Carlsen on speaking out on an issue the chess world pretends doesn’t exist. On September 8th, Tang tweeted, “guess what [cheating] still seems pretty easy to get away with and many GMs besides hans have done it!”

Other instances of cheating in chess have been reported as well. In an interview with NPR, grandmaster Maurice Ashley said that devices aren’t always needed for someone to cheat. In one instance, Ashley explains how a player had a code with their coach, whose position on the floor signaled which piece the player should move. These occurrences are causing mistrust in the chess community. “I mean, conspiracies are everywhere now.

Everybody’s paranoid, and that’s not a good place for chess to be at all.”, Ashley said.

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