After losing to Hans Niemann in the third round of the Sinquefield Cup 2022, Magnus Carlsen withdrew from the event without detailed explanations. Possible reasons of Magnus Carlsen’s withdrawal can be found here. Sinquefield Cup’s players and organizers reacted to Carlsen’s decision with Fabiano Caruana tweeting that he can’t wait to see the Hans effect on The Magnus Effect. Hans Niemann was shocked by Carlsen’s withdrawal and explained that he couldn’t even focus on his fourth round game against Firouzja. In the R4 post-game interview, Hans added: At least I got to beat Magnus Carlsen before he left. Sinquefield Cup improved anti-cheating measures and Carlsen’s results got annulled. Niemann decided to tell his truth after the 5th round. He confessed cheating in random chesscom games. He added that he will not let chesscom, Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura slander his reputation and said he would like to see what Nakamura has to say now. After a resting day at the Sinquefield Cup 2022, Hans broke the silence: “The silence of my critics clearly speaks for itself“. Magnus Carlsen’s withdrawal from the tournament and Niemann’s interview caused different reactions on social medias. Elon Musk commented on accusations towards Hans Niemann, while Garry Kasparov called Carlsen’s withdrawal as an act with no precedent in the last 50 years.
Chess.com yesterday published the official statement, explaining the decision to remove Hans Niemann from the platform: “Dear Chess Community, the last few days have been tumultuous for many in the chess community. At this time, we have reached out to Hans Niemann to explain our decision to privately remove him from Chess.com and our events. We have shared detailed evidence with him concerning our decision, including information that contradicts his statements regarding the amount and seriousness of his cheating on Chess.com. We have invited Hans to provide an explanation and response with the hope of finding a resolution where Hans can again participate on Chess.com. We want nothing more than to see the best chess players in the world succeed in the greatest events. We will always try to protect the integrity of the game that we all love“.
Garry Kasparov commented on chess.com’s decision to ban Niemann from the website and his full statement can be found here.
Read more: Daniel Rensch about chess.com’s statement: This tweet speaks for itself / Susan Polgar about Niemann – Carlsen case: The professional reputation of many parties is at stake
