Chess Is in Chaos Over Suspicion That a Player Cheated Against Magnus Carlsen

The Wall Street Journal ^ | 09/08/2022 | Andrew Beaton and Joshua Robinson

[Timber Rattler]

Heres' one way...

Chess grandmaster accused of cheating after using phone on toilet during tournament

[zeestephen]

I did some more reading on this game.

The basic issue seems to be that at a critical point in the Carlsen game the teenage Niemann made three, over the board, optimal moves, in a row.

After the game, when asked to explain those moves, Niemann made a rambling and unsatisfying explanation, which is what incited skepticism among several grandmasters.

In addition, Niemann is currently banned from Chess.com online tournaments because in two similar games he was also unable to explain how he found several brilliant moves over the board and under time pressure.

The flip side to this debate is that no Niemann critics can explain how he cheated in a live tournament.

[zeestephen]

Re: "Carlsen is also a big man-child."

Maybe - but Carlsen also had not lost a classical timed chess game in his last 53 games, which I believe is close to the modern FIDE record.

Also, several grandmasters felt that Niemanns rambling explanation for his three, late game, over the board, flawless moves was not credible.

[LS]

“Siam’s gonna be the witness to the ultimate test of cerebral fitness.” (Murray Head, “One Night in Bangkok”)

[devere]

I watched the Carlsen vs Niemann game, and what you write is not what I saw. It was a typical human game with typical human mistakes. Play it over again and see for yourself https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2372960 .

When chess.com banned Niemann again on September 8th they didn’t give any reason; but Carlsen is a co-owner of chess.com, so maybe that is the real reason? After a subsequent outcry they issued a statement saying they had privately told Niemann their reasons; did they also tell you?

After investigating, the Sinquefield Cup tournament issued an official statement that they have no evidence that anyone cheated at their tournament https://www.chessdom.com/sinquefield-cup-chief-arbiters-statement-we-currently-have-no-indication-that-any-player-has-been-playing-unfairly-in-the-2022-sinquefield-cup/

[rlmorel]

Your post certain provides important context...thank you.

[rlmorel]

LOL, I couldn’t see how that would work-don’t they have the “big board” that has the pieces mapped so all the spectators can see what is going on?

[zeestephen]

Re: "I watched the Carlsen vs Niemann game, and what you write is not what I saw."

I watched the game twice with professional commentary.

Carlsen played an unusual variant - Pawn to g3 - and Niemann claimed that by a "ridiculous miracle" that was exactly the opening he had prepared for.

Before Carlsen resigned, Niemann played three or four moves that looked more like Stockfish than Niemann - that is what riled up several of the Top Ten Grandmasters in the tournament.

Please note that I ended my previous comment by saying there was no way to prove that Niemann cheated.

[Timber Rattler]

Yeah, I don't doubt that those three moves seems awfully suspicious, as well as Niemann's unconvincing explanation in how he responded to Carlsen's g3. Personally, I think he did cheat somehow, considering that he admitted that he had cheated before (only 3 years ago!) on chess.com.

I follow Levy Rozman on his Youtube Channel Gotham Chess. He's a friend and competitor of Carlsen's and has been covering the scandal, with his latest update here:

CHESS CHEATING Drama Update...

[ifinnegan]

Thanks.

[devere]

“that is what riled up several of the Top Ten Grandmasters in the tournament.”

Your statement is simply false. Nobody at the tournament was “riled up” except for Carlsen. Levon Aronian made comments sympathetic to Niemann, and the other Sinquefield players wisely kept their mouths shut. Gary Kasparov made a comment critical of Carlsen, saying his withdrawal was unprecedented and required an explanation, and Anatoly Karpov was more direct in rejecting what he did: “I watched the game last night [vs Niemann] and I have to say that Carlsen just played extremely badly. I heard comments that he couldn’t get out of the opening and had no chance, but that’s not true. I reject all versions of an unfair win. Of course we can’t say with certainty that Niemann didn’t cheat, but Carlsen surprisingly played the opening so badly with white that he automatically got into a worse position. But then he showed a strange inability to cope with the difficult situation that arose on the board”

I suspect that you like the rest of us are subject to confirmation bias, and your mind is inventing pseudo-evidence to justify your opinion that Niemann must have cheated. My bias is “innocent until proven guilty”, and there is no evidence I or Karpov or the tournament officials can see that Hans Niemann cheated at the Sinquefield Cup tournament.