Chess world champion Magnus Carlsen accuses his competitor Hans Niemann of cheating. The world association is now setting up a commission of inquiry.
Chess professional Magnus Carlsen raises serious allegations against competitor Hans Niemann.
(dpa) In the case of the Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen’s allegations of cheating against his American opponent Hans Niemann, the world chess association Fide has set up a commission of inquiry. The portal “T-online” reported on Thursday, citing the German official Klaus Deventer. Accordingly, in the coming days, a three-person committee from the association’s fair play commission will start investigations. It would be determined in “two different directions,” said the anti-cheating officer of the German Chess Federation.
“Firstly, we would check: are there enough facts to justify an allegation of fraud? If we come to the conclusion that this is the case, we would file suit with Fide’s Ethics and Disciplinary Committee,” Deventer said. On the other hand, it would also be checked “whether there was a false accusation. We would also report that if necessary.”
Carlsen accuses his US counterparty of fraud: “I believe that Niemann – even recently – cheated more than he publicly admitted.” The first incident happened in early September. At the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis, the superstar surprisingly lost to Niemann and withdrew from a tournament for the first time in his career. The 31-year-old Norwegian did not give any reasons at the time. The chess scene interpreted Carlsen’s exit as an allegation of fraud against Niemann. The American admitted in an interview during the Sinquefield Cup to having cheated twice in online games as a teenager, aged 12 and 16, but never in person at the chessboard.
Carlsen now opined that Niemann’s progress in on-site games was unusual. “During our game at the Sinquefield Cup, I got the impression that he wasn’t fully focused and focused on the game at the crucial moments, while he was dominating me with the black pieces in a way that only a small group of people could imagine know. The Sinquefield Cup game helped change my perspective on the subject,” said Carlsen.
Carlsen wrote on Twitter a few days ago: “We have to do something about cheating in chess. I will help by not playing against players who have cheated in the past as I am not sure what such players will do in the future.”