Norwegian accuses American Niemann of foul play
World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen wrote an open letter in which he commented on his behavior in recent fights with the American grandmaster Hans Niemann.
“At the Sinquefield Cup, I made the unprecedented professional decision to withdraw from the tournament after a third round game against Hans Niemann. A week later, during the Champions Chess Tour, I gave up in the game with Niemann, having managed to make only one move.
“I know that my actions upset many in the chess community. I am disappointed. I want to play chess. I want to continue playing chess at the highest level in the best tournaments.”
“I think cheating in chess is a big problem. I also believe that the organizers of chess tournaments and all those who care about the integrity of the game we love, should seriously consider strengthening security measures and methods for detecting cheating at the chessboard. When Niemann was invited to the Sinquefield Cup at the last minute, I seriously considered pulling out of the tournament right away, but decided to play anyway.”
“I believe that Niemann cheated more than he publicly admitted. His advancement was unusual, during our play at the Sinquefield Cup I got the impression that he was not tense or even fully concentrated on playing in critical positions, beating me with black in a way that I think only a group of players can do. This game helped change my point of view.”
“We have to do something about cheating and for me, in the future I don’t want to play against people who have cheated multiple times in the past because I don’t know what they’re capable of in the future.”
“Unfortunately, I am currently limited in what I can speak openly without Niemann’s permission. Until now, I could only speak with my actions, and these actions clearly stated that I did not want to play chess with Niemann. I hope that the truth on this occasion will come out, whatever it may be.”
19-year-old American Hans Niemann is accused of cheating – while playing, other players help him with the help of gadgets. Niemann has previously been accused of cheating in online games, but he assures that he did not cheat during live games.
Earlier, Magnus Carlsen announced that he would not defend the world title in 2023.
Carlsen became the champion for the first time in 2013. In December 2021, the Norwegian defended his world title for the fourth time in a match against Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Source: Sportarena
