It was by no means the decisive move to checkmate, the statement late Monday evening by world champion Magnus Carlsen about the possible deception of the young American grandmaster Hans Niemann. The chess world had been looking forward to it with great anticipation, but the Norwegian did not provide the irrefutable proof. The riot seems to be bogged down in a stalemate.
Carlsen is convinced that his opponent is cheating and announces that he will never face him again. But he also writes that he cannot show the back of his tongue and that he “needs Niemann’s express permission to speak freely.” Safeguarding privacy and the fear of legal action after further allegations may play a role.
Limited burden
The incriminating material that Carlsen presents in his statement is limited. In his lost match in the Sinquefield Cup tournament on September 4 in Saint Louis, he observed that during critical moments his opponent was “not tense or even fully concentrated, as he outplayed me with black in a way that I think only a handful of players can do that.”
He didn’t trust him at all, he had considered withdrawing when the American was added to the field at the last minute. According to Carlsen, his tormentor is making unusual progress, increasing his rating from 2,500 to nearly 2,700 in a year and a half.
After the loss, the world champion left the tournament after all, with an implicit charge of foul play: a video of football coach Jose Mourinho who says that if he speaks he will get into big trouble. At the beginning of last week, in an online confrontation with Niemann during the Julius Baer Generation Cup, he gave up after just one move; he did win the tournament.
Last Friday, the international chess federation Fide urged him to explain his behaviour. “The world champion has a moral responsibility befitting his status. His actions have an impact on the reputation of colleagues, on the sporting results and can potentially damage our sport.’
Business Opening
Opinions are still divided. Carlsen is sure Niemann (19) cheated more than he admitted so far. The American previously confessed that he was caught illegal play by the online chess platform chess.com at the age of 12 and 16. After the incident in Saint Louis, the organization also suggested that his confession was not telling the full truth and invited him to give full disclosure. It is salient that chess.com is about to take over the Play Magnus Group for 85 million euros, the internet platform that the world champion set up himself.
On the other hand, there is an investigation by an American expert in tracing deception in chess. Kenneth Regan analyzed Niemann’s games over the past two years. His conclusion: there is nothing suspicious about it. Sometimes he played well, sometimes not. The two highest placed Dutch grandmasters, Jorden van Foreest and Anish Giri, who have both faced Niemann several times, prefer not to comment on the latest developments. Giri only said last week that the American played bad against him every time.
In his statement, Carlsen calls cheating in chess a major problem and an “existential threat to the game.” He asks tournaments for better security measures and methods for detecting cheating. In a response, the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, where the Norwegian is a welcome guest, reports that it will review the current rules. ‘We sharpen them where necessary.’ The organization looks at measures that other tournaments take. For example, after the departure of the world champion, the Sinquefield Cup decided to pass on moves on the board with a 15-minute delay. What may change will be revealed in the run-up to the tournament, which starts in Wijk aan Zee in mid-January.
metal detectors
Control is already there. During the bigger games, chess players have to go through metal detectors. They are not allowed to bring cell phones. Many are physically scanned for the presence of transmitters. Technology makes fraud possible. Chess players point to the existence of devices that transmit signals and can be hidden in socks. Through skin-colored ears, unnoticed contact with secondaries outside the room can be established.
According to Jeroen Bosch, coordinator of top chess and talent development at the Dutch chess federation KNSB, there is certainly still room for improvement in the smaller games. ‘The organizations of those events simply don’t have the budgets to deploy detection equipment. You usually have to deal with a lot of participants. At the important tournaments, with the big names, there are fewer players, but there is much more money available.’ The chance of cheating may actually be smaller. Bosch: ‘I believe that no one in the top 10 takes the risk. You have as much to lose as it suits you.’
Children
Online cheating is not exceptional. For example, after matches that the Dutch association organizes, reports are regularly received about suspicious play. Chess.com claims to be able to determine based on algorithms that someone achieves an unusually high level by always choosing the best move according to computer programs, and that too without having to think twice. According to Bosch, these are mostly children. ‘We are handling it with care. We’ll warn them, but we won’t reveal their names.’ Fraud can also consist of creating different accounts, allowing others to play on your behalf.
On more prestigious confrontations on the Internet, with prize money, the placement of two cameras in the room is mandatory; one focuses on the player, the other provides an overview of the departure. There is also control of switching tabs on the computer. It is not waterproof. At NK’s online, the chess federation sends arbitrators to the house of the finalists just to be sure.