World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen Accuses Hans Niemann Of Cheating

Topline

Reigning World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen accused grandmaster Hans Niemann of cheating in a statement released Monday, marking the first time Carlsen unequivocally alleged wrongdoing by the 19-year-old after weeks of speculation among the chess community.

Key Facts

Carlsen, who previously only addressed the cheating allegations in cryptic social media posts, said Monday in a statement that Niemann has “cheated more–and more recently–than he has publicly admitted.”

During their match at the Sinquefield Cup earlier this month—which Carlsen lost in a shocking upset–Carlsen said Niemann “wasn’t tense or even fully concentrating” during critical moments of the game, despite outplaying Carlsen in a way he said “only a handful of players can do.”

Carlsen called on chess organizers to consider beefing up security and upgrading cheating detection methods for over the board matches (or games played face-to-face, not online) saying cheating in chess is “a big deal and an existential threat to the game.”

Carlsen said he’s limited in what he can say publicly because he does not have explicit permission to speak openly from Niemann.

Niemann did not immediately respond to a Forbes request for comment.

Tangent

Chess fans have speculated how Niemann could have cheated during over the board matches without being detected. Some alleged that Carlsen’s opening move preparation may have been leaked, which Niemann denied, saying he correctly guessed Carlsen’s first move “by some ridiculous miracle.” Another theory floated is that Niemann may have hidden a small vibrating device on his person that communicated signals from a third party about which moves to make.

Key Background

Allegations of cheating have spread among the chess community since the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis on Sept. 5 where Niemann–the lowest-ranked of the tournament’s players–defeated Carlsen in the third round, marking the World Chess Champion’s first loss in more than two years. Carlsen withdrew from the tournament after the loss and shared a video online of Portuguese soccer coach José Mourinho saying, “If I speak, I am in big trouble,” taken from a 2020 interview about a controversial referee decision. Many in the chess world interpreted the video as a cheating accusation against Niemann. Last week, tension reached a boiling point when Carlsen and Niemann went head-to-head in a highly-anticipated rematch during a preliminary game for Julius Baer Generation Cup, which was played online. After making just one move, Carlsen suddenly resigned and turned his webcam off. Since the Sinquefield Cup, Niemann has admitted to cheating online on several occasions years ago, but denied wrongdoing over the board or in his game with Carlsen. Chess.com, the world’s largest online chess platform, removed Niemann after uncovering evidence that the platform says contradicts his statements about the severity of his cheating during online games.

Further Reading

World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen Resigns From Match After Just One Move Against Player At Center Of ‘Cheating’ Scandal (Forbes)