After 19-year-old Hans Niemann defeated Magnus Carlsen in the third round of the Sinquefield Cup 2022, World Champion Magnus Carlsen withdrew from the 2022 tournament. Carlsen withdrew from the Sinquefield Cup 2022 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“.
Carlsen’s withdrawal from the tournament and Niemann’s interview caused different reactions on social medias. Garry Kasparov called Carlsen’s withdrawal as an act with no precedent in the last 50 years: “I will not delve into the ugly insinuations of the matter now, but must remark on what we do know: World chess champion Magnus Carlsen withdrew from the world’s premier tournament in St. Louis, an act with no precedent in the past 50 years, and his explanation is required. Carlsen’s withdrawal was a blow to chess fans, his colleagues at the tournament, the organizers, and, as the rumors and negative publicity swirl in a vacuum, to the game. The world title has its responsibilities, and a public statement is the least of them here”, posted Kasparov in his twitter account. Earlier today, Elon Musk commented on accusations towards Hans Niemann.
Read more: Garry Kasparov comments on chess.com’s decision to ban Hans Niemann from the platform / Susan Polgar: The professional reputation of many parties is at stake / Hikaru Nakamura reacts to Hans Niemann’s interview / Chess.com published the official statement explaining its decision to ban Niemann from the platform / Daniel Rensch commented on the chess.com statement
