World chess champion Magnus Carlsen made concrete allegations of fraud for the first time after the sensational next round in a dispute with US teenager Hans Niemann.
“I believe that Niemann has cheated more – even recently – than he has publicly admitted,” wrote the Norwegian in an open letter on Twitter on Monday.
His progress was “unusual,” Carlsen continued. In one of the last duels, he had the impression that Niemann was “not tense and not even fully focused on the game in critical positions”, “while playing me with Black in a way that I think only a handful can do players can”.
Something must be done about cheating in chess, “I don’t want to play against people who have repeatedly cheated in the past because I don’t know what they will be able to do in the future.” He couldn’t say more at the moment, “but I hope that the truth in this matter will come out, whatever it may be”.
A week ago, Carlsen met 19-year-old Niemann in a top-class online tournament – and ended the game after a move without comment. Carlsen, who has been world chess champion since 2013, withdrew from a face-to-face tournament at the beginning of September after a surprising defeat against the American.
The 31-year-old will not defend his title again in 2023 due to a lack of motivation. Niemann had cheated in virtual tournaments at the age of 16 and admitted it.