Carlsen–Niemann controversy
In September 2022, beginning in the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, a controversy between Magnus Carlsen, the world chess champion, and Hans Niemann, a Junior player, arose. After losing twice, online and off, Carlsen repeatedly insinuated that Niemann was cheating, which Niemann denied.
Sinquefield Cup
Magnus Carlsen @MagnusCarlsen I've withdrawn from the tournament. I've always enjoyed playing in the @STLChessClub, and hope to be back in the future
5 September 2022[1]
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In the 2022 edition of the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis, Missouri, Carlsen lost to Niemann in an over-the-board game on 4 September.[2] Slate described the result as a "shocking upset" for Carlsen, ending his 53-game unbeaten streak to a player far lower rated in a game where he had the white pieces (and therefore the first-move advantage).[2][3] Carlsen withdrew from the tournament the following day, tweeting a simple announcement of his withdrawal alongside a video of José Mourinho saying "I prefer really not to speak. If I speak, I am in big trouble."[2] Carlsen's withdrawal did not formally allege that Niemann had cheated, but the broader community saw his tweet as a heavy insinuation of an accusation.[4] Emil Sutovsky, the director-general of FIDE, noted that Carlsen had not previously quit a tournament due to a poor result and thus opined that Carlsen must have believed he had "a compelling reason" to do so.[4]
Grandmaster and streamer Hikaru Nakamura said that he believed Carlsen had likely suspected Niemann of cheating. Nakamura also stated that Niemann had been previously banned from chess.com for cheating in online games.[5] Levon Aronian, another Grandmaster who played in the tournament, defended Niemann, stating that most high-level players are "pretty much paranoid" and that young players often draw accusations of cheating after strong play.[2] Chris Bird, the chief arbiter for the Cup, stated on 10 September that nothing indicated unfair play on the part of any player.[2] Former world champion Garry Kasparov noted that Carlsen's withdrawal from the tournament had "no precedent in the past 50 years", and called on Carlsen, who has thus far refrained from comment on the controversy, to explain his decision.[6]
The controversy has also garnered significant attention from outside of the chess profession,[7] including on American late-night talk shows The Daily Show with Trevor Noah[8] and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,[9] in part due to rampant speculation that the mechanism by which Niemann received computer assistance was a vibrating device implanted in his anus.[3][10][11][12]
Niemann's reaction
In an interview on September 6, Niemann denied having cheated during the Sinquefield Cup, accusing Carlsen and Nakamura, among others, of attempting to ruin his career. He admitted that he had previously cheated in online chess, once when he was 12 years old during an online tournament and then when he was 16 years old in unrated online games, but maintained that he had never cheated in an over-the-board game. He offered to play in a closed environment without electronic connections and said "if they want me to strip fully naked, I will do it" to disprove any allegations of cheating.[5]
Julius Baer Generations Cup
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On 19 September, Carlsen resigned an online game against Niemann after having only played one move. The game took place on the chess24 platform, with the candidates appearing on camera over Microsoft Teams,[13] during round 6 of the Julius Baer Generation Cup, a section of the Champions Chess Tour 2022.[13][14] The game began with the Indian Defence (1. d4 Nf6) and after Niemann played 2. c4, Carlsen resigned the game and switched off his webcam.[15] The resignation of the game prompted confusion and surprise from commentators Tania Sachdev and Péter Lékó.[15] Grandmaster Maurice Ashley tweeted: "This is shocking and disturbing. No one can be happy that this is happening in the chess world. Unbelievable!"[15]
References
- ^ Magnus Carlsen [@MagnusCarlsen] (September 5, 2022). "I've withdrawn from the tournament. I've always enjoyed playing in the @STLChessClub, and hope to be back in the future" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e Keener, Greg (September 13, 2022). "The chess world isn't ready for a cheating scandal". The New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Pahwa, Nitish (September 15, 2022). "Everything you could possibly want to know about the cheating scandal roiling the world of chess". Slate. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Beaton, Andrew; Robinson, Joshua (September 8, 2022). "Chess is in chaos over suspicion that a player cheated against Magnus Carlsen". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Ingle, Sean (September 7, 2022). "Top chess player Hans Niemann admits cheating in past but says he is now 'clean'". The Guardian. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Klee, Miles (September 14, 2022). "Vibrating butt toys are exactly what chess needs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Simon, Scott (September 17, 2022). "Why chess fans are questioning 19-year-old Hans Niemann's win over Magnus Carlsen". NPR. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Noah, Trevor (September 15, 2022). The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Television production). Comedy Central. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Colbert, Stephen (September 16, 2022). The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Television production). CBS. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Mouriquand, David (September 16, 2022). "Chess grandmaster denies cheating by using anal beads". Euronews. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Wong, Matteo (September 17, 2022). "Chess is just poker now". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Barr, Kyle (September 19, 2022). "Following 'anal bead scandal', chess master rematch ends in resignation". Gizmodo. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Porterfield, Carlie (September 19, 2022). "World chess champion Magnus Carlsen resigns from match after just one move against player at center of 'cheating' scandal". Forbes. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ "Magnus Carlsen resigns from rematch with Hans Niemann after opening move". The Guardian. September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ a b c Backhouse, Andrew (September 19, 2022). "Magnus Carlsen resigns after one move against Hans Niemann". Fox Sports. Retrieved September 20, 2022.