Chess, Magnus Carlsen accuses Hans Niemann of cheating: Details here
Chess star Magnus Carlsen accused his American rival Hans Niemann of cheating on Monday. The accusation comes a week after the Norwegian resigned from a Julius Baer Generation Cup match against Niemann. Carlsen withdrew in the wake of the cheating controversy that rocked the world of chess. In a recent statement, Carlsen stated that Neimann has "cheated more than he has publicly admitted".
Niemann's over-the-board progress has been unusual: Carlsen
Carlsen accused Niemann of cheating in a latter posted on Twitter. He wrote, "Dear Chess World, I believe that Niemann has cheated more -- and more recently -- than he has publicly admitted." The world champion added that Niemann's "over-the-board progress has been unusual". "Cheating in chess is a big deal and an existential threat to the game," added Carlsen.
Here is the full statement
Carlsen resigned from Julius Baer Generation Cup match
Carlsen and Niemann clashed in the Julius Baer Generation Cup last week. They were available on a video link during the live broadcast on Chess24. However, Carlsen disconnected after making his first move with the black pieces. On the live stream, commentator Tania Sachdev said, "Carlsen just resigned." After withdrawing, Carlsen put a tweet, "If I speak, I am in big trouble".
Did Niemann actually cheat?
American Grandmaster, Hikaru Nakamura, also a a popular streamer, claimed that Niemann "probably cheated". Nakamura added that Chess.com had banned Niemann in the past. As per The Guardian, Niemann denied the allegations of cheating against Carlsen. However, the 19-year-old admitted that he cheated in the past. The report stated that Niemann admitted to cheating in an online tournament as a 12-year-old.
How did Niemann respond?
Denying the allegations, Niemann, in an interview, said he was ready to play "naked" in order to prove his innocence. "I can completely strip, you want to do any fair play check to me you want I don't care because I know that I'm clean," he said. Niemann added that he could even "play in a closed box with zero electronic transmission".
Carlsen hopes 'truth would come out'
Carlsen's latest statement suggests there is more to this fiasco. "There is more I would like to say. Unfortunately, at this time I am limited in what I can say without explicit permission from Niemann to speak openly," he wrote. Carlsen added that he does not want to play with Niemann. The former hopes "truth would come out, whatever it may be".
Norway's Magnus Carlsen is a five-time World champion
Magnus Carlsen, a five-time World Chess champion, has the distinction of holding the World Championship, Blitz Championship, and the Rapid Chess Championships, all at once. He famously won the World Chess Championship in 2013, beating India's Viswanathan Anand. Carlsen went on to win the Rapid Chess Championship in 2014 and defended it successfully in 2015. He also won the Blitz Championship in 2014.
