Carlsen–Niemann controversy
chess game upsets
During the Sinquefield Cup in September 2022, a controversy arose involving the chess grandmasters Magnus Carlsen, then world champion, and Hans Niemann. Carlsen, after being upset in their third-round matchup, dropped out of the tournament. Many commentators, most vocally grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, interpreted his withdrawal as tacitly accusing Niemann of having cheated. In their next encounter in an online tournament, Carlsen abruptly resigned after one move, seemingly doubling down on his insinuation. The controversy became the most serious scandal about cheating allegations in chess in years, and it garnered significant attention in the news media worldwide.
After the fifth round of the Sinquefield Cup, Niemann gave a lengthy interview addressing the controversy, in which he admitted to cheating in online chess in the past, but denied cheating in the game with Carlsen or in any over-the-board game. Three weeks later, Carlsen released a statement saying that Niemann's behavior during their Sinquefield Cup game, taken together with earlier suspicions, had persuaded him to withdraw from the tournament. Carlsen expressed the belief that Niemann had cheated more often and more recently than he had publicly admitted.
Chess.com removed Niemann from their platform in the days after Carlsen's withdrawal from the Sinquefield Cup. FIDE, the international chess governing body, rebuked Carlsen for his actions but at the same time acknowledged his concerns about cheating in Chess.
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