After Hans Niemann defeated the World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen in the third round of the Sinquefield Cup 2022, Carlsen decided to withdraw from the tournament. Rumors that Magnus Carlsen suspected Niemann was cheating were spreading over social medias, when Magnus Carlsen put more wood in the fire as he refused to play against Hans Niemann in the Julius Baer Generation Cup, resigning his game after two played moves. Magnus Carlsen yesterday published the official statement on the topic stating that he believes Hans Niemann “has cheated more – and more recently – than he publicly admitted”.
GM Nigel Davies described the statement as a clear accusation of cheating, but without actual evidence: “I think it’s time for the FIDE Ethics Comission to step in“, and English grandmaster, journalist and author, Raymond Keene agreed: “I agree. Alternatively, Niemann could now legitimately raise stakes by consulting M’Learned Friends, especially Alexander Rufus Isaacs who won through for Gaprindashvili in Netflix defamation case. I am in contact with Alexander; he is raring to go if Niemann pulls the trigger!“, posted Keene on twitter.
The timetable of events related to Carlsen – Niemann case:
