A month after the controversy broke out at a prestigious event when the world chess champion accused the 19-year-old American of cheating, Chess.com’s 72-page report was made public on Tuesday.
Niemann allegedly secretly admitted to cheating to the website’s chief chess officer in 2020, which resulted in his temporary exclusion from the platform, according to the story.
According to the article, Niemann’s account was terminated by Chess.com in September as a result of his prior admissions of cheating, uncertainties surrounding his most recent games, and worries regarding the rapid, uneven rise in his rank.
Magnus Carlsen, the current world chess champion, convicted Niemann of tampering at the $350,000 Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis, Missouri, last month.
The 31-year-old Norwegian made the following claim in a statement shared on Twitter:
I feel that Niemann has cheated more – and more recently – than he has officially stated.
Magnus CarlsenCarlsen further said his outstanding performance was suspicious, and during the match at Sinquefield Cup, it felt like he has been taking the game so easy and not focusing enough even in tough positions, yet outperforming me as a defender I believe only selective players can do. That game helped me shift my outlook. After falling short of Niemann, Carlsen withdrew from the competition.
Chess has transformed into a detective story and a telenovela seemingly overnight. Niemann, 19, who admitted to online adultery when he was 12 and 16, says he is ready to play naked to demonstrate that he is now “clean.” When they recently faced off again in an online tournament, Carlsen didn’t believe him and quit after just one move.
As the narrative progresses, it also reveals other things. Chess has undergone a significant transformation. The outdated idea of a game being played by shy men and boys in stuffy church halls and isolated beer rooms without regular customers is no longer true. Rather, a new era of chess has begun, one that is younger, hipper, and even a touch of punk rock.
