Chess: Did Niemann cheat against Magnus Carlsen? All we know
In a major development, reigning chess world champion Magnus Carlsen resigned from a Julius Baer Generation Cup match against America's Hans Niemann after making the opening move. The former pulled out in the wake of the "cheating controversy" that rocked the world of chess. Notably, Carlsen had dramatically withdrawn from the Sinquefield Cup after losing to the 19-year-old. The world champion suspected foul play.
What is the matter?
Carlsen and Niemann clashed in the Julius Baer Generation Cup on Monday. 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".
WATCH: Carlsen resigns!
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.
Ready to play naked: Niemann on his allegations
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".
WATCH: Niemann responds to allegations of cheating
A similar controversy unfolded in 2005
This is not the first case of "cheating allegation" across chess. Such controversies have perturbed the chess fraternity earlier as well. As per Firstpost, Veselin Topalov accused Vladimir Kramnik of analyzing a World Championship game in the toilet in 2005.
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.
