Hans Niemann, the American chess player whom Magnus Carlsen publicly accused of cheating, is in the middle of the storm. The player, who admitted to “cheating” at online games in his teenage years, was the subject of extensive investigation by Chess.com, one of the online platforms where top ranked players regularly compete. According to the 72-page report, there are as many as 100 games in which there are suspicions that the American acted improperly. There are also games from 2020, although most scenes are between his 12 and 17 years old. This fuels accusations that Carlsen cheated on the classic board.

dual screen

Niemann was kicked out of Chess.com during the day, deleting his profile from the platform for cheaters he confessed to and after Carlsen’s direct accusation a few days ago, which clearly pointed to him in a statement. According to the research, Niemann’s working style reveals that: “The questionable games coincided with when he opened a different screen on his computer. This invites us to consider consulting a simulator to find out which is the best option for each game.”

The report also highlights Niemann’s rapid rise:Hans is the fastest rising front row player in the world Chess classic of modern history. Looking at the standings, Hans should be considered another member of the group of top young players. There’s no denying that he has talent, but his results are statistically phenomenal.”

The debate began on September 5 in the third round of the Sinquefield Cup. Niemann, who plays black and has the lowest ELO rating in the tournament, upset Magnus Carlsen by beating Magnus Carlsen and breaking his 53-game undefeated streak. Days ago, the Norwegian and American played on the beach in Miami what many would like to see as Carlsen’s strategy for testing Niemann. st. After the defeat at Louis, Magnus again faced Niemann in the fast-paced Julius Baer online tournament. And everything there was smoke. Defending world champion retired after making a single move Leaving an ironic message: “I must say I was very impressed with Niemann’s talent and I think his mentor Maxim Dlugy must have done a great job.”

Carlsen cast a shadow of doubt on Niemann, but failed to provide any evidence. However, a few days later, the current world champion Norwegian, who would not have given up on defending his crown against Russian Ian Nepomniamchi, made a harsh statement in which he accused the young American more aggressively: “I think Niemann cheated more than he publicly admitted. His progression on the board was unusual, And throughout our game in the Sinquefield Cup, I had the impression that he wasn’t nervous in critical positions or even completely focused on the game as he outstripped me in a way that I thought only a handful of players could.”

This led to many hypotheses about how Niemann cheated, leading to the already famous anal pearl theory; it is a way in which the young chess player will know which moves to make by the vibrations he receives from the anal pearls used by his coach. All these discussions caused the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to launch an investigation to investigate the veracity of Carlsen’s accusations against Niemann as a result of the Sinquefield Cup match.

The Business of Carlsen and Chess.com

The FIDE Fair Play Commission is chaired by Lithuanian Salomeja Zaksaite, who called for “speculations on the suspension of possible sanctions until all data have been evaluated and the investigation completed”. But there is another aspect that confuses this soap opera even more: Chess.com is in advanced talks to acquire the ‘Play Magnus’ app, owned by the Norwegian chess player, for around €85 million. This has led some to suspect that the platform’s Niemann investigation was targeted and biased. Although they were not flagged from the portal, “Carlsen did not speak to Chess.com on this matter, request such an investigation, or directly influence the executive decision.” It’s true that Chess.com has had experience of unmasking cheaters in the chess world, to the point where Niemann’s report claims the platform has caught dozens of ‘Grandmasters’ cheats in online games, “including four of the world’s top 100.

Regardless, Hans Niemann finds himself in a difficult situation, which is unsurprising for some of the big names in chess today. Thus, the candidate to replace Carlsen, who ascended to the world throne after winning the Candidates tournament in Madrid, is Russian Ian. Nepomniamchi had requested “anti-cheat measures” against Niemann before Sinquefield began. And Japanese-American Hikaru Nakamura was one of the first to publicly disclose that Niemann was suspended twice on Chess.com for cheating in online tournaments.