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Hans Niemann ‘likely cheated’ in more than 100 games

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An investigation found that a chess player at the centre of a cheating scandal “possibly” cheated in more than 100 online games.

Magnus Carlsen, the current world champion, has accused Hans Niemann of cheating, although no proof has been provided.

According to a Chess.com investigation, Niemann has probably cheated “far more often” than he has admitted.

However, it did not uncover any proof that he had cheated in his match with Carlsen or any other “over-the-board” games.

The American has admitted to cheating in casual games in his youth, but he disputes doing so in games that were intended to be competitive.

The BBC has contacted the 19-year-old for comment and he has already accused Carlsen and Chess.com of attempting to destroy his career.

The story started last month after Carlsen, who is widely regarded as the best player of all time, suffered a shocking loss to Niemann at the Sinquefield Cup.

Prior to publicly accusing Niemann of cheating last week, the Norwegian had already levelled subtle charges against him.

Now, Chess.com, where the majority of the world’s best players participate, including for cash prizes, has published a 72-page inquiry of Niemann’s games.

The website, which banned Niemann for alleged cheating, asserts that it is possible he committed fraud as recently as 2020, especially in prize money competitions and when competing against highly regarded “well recognised” figures in the game.

Niemann vigorously denied the allegations when they first surfaced earlier this month, stating he was prepared to play the game while unclothed to demonstrate that he wasn’t using any equipment to cheat.

“I don’t care, because I know I am clean. You want me to play in a closed box with zero electronic transmission, I don’t care. I’m here to win and that is my goal regardless.”

Niemann’s over-the-board games were statistically analysed by Prof. Kenneth Regan, who is widely considered as the world’s foremost authority on chess cheating, and no evidence of cheating was discovered.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

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Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann: Chess champion accuses opponent of cheating

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Magnus Carlsen, the current world chess champion, has publicly accused Hans Niemann of cheating. He said in a statement that he thought Mr. Niemann had “cheated more—and more recently—than he has publicly admitted,” but he provided no proof. Niemann, who defeated Carlsen this month in a significant shock, had previously faced veiled charges.

The 19-year-old Niemann has accused Carlsen of attempting to destroy his career while denying cheating in chess competitions. The adolescent has twice admitted cheating online, when he was 12 and 16, but vehemently denies ever cheating at the gaming table. He even indicated he was prepared to play in the buff to demonstrate his good faith.

The controversy started earlier this month when Mr. Carlsen, widely regarded as the best player of all time, lost to Mr. Niemann at the Sinquefield Cup, snapping his 53-game streak of perfect play in classical chess.

He then withdrew from the competition despite their still being six rounds left, and he afterwards tweeted a clip of José Mourinho, the manager of Real Madrid, saying: “If I talk, I am in huge danger.”

In an online competition where the two met again the previous week, Mr. Carlsen left after only one move, ostensibly in protest of Mr. Niemann’s involvement.

After going on to win the competition, Mr. Carlsen promised to speak out more about the controversy and stated that he wanted “cheating in chess to be dealt with seriously.” The only British competitor in the world championship final, grandmaster Nigel Short, told the BBC last week that he was sceptical of the accusations of unfair play and insisted that there was no proof Niemann had cheated in his triumph over Carlsen.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright