After losing to Hans Niemann in the third round of the Sinquefield Cup 2022, Magnus Carlsen decided to withdraw from the tournament. Hans Niemann today played against Alireza Firouzja and missed his winning chances. The game ended in a draw with the perpetual check on the board. Replay the game here
The story so far: Magnus 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. The Sinquefield Cup improved the anti-cheating measures and Hans Niemann was thoroughly checked with anti-cheating devices before the start of the fourth round.
In the post-game interview, Niemann analyzed his game against Firouzja and commented on Carlsen’s decision to withdraw from the event: “I was struggling to even focus. I was thinking about it the entire game. I’ve never ever in my life heard of a top player forfeiting a game, even the world champion. I don’t know if he said he wasn’t gonna play before or after the game, but for me seeing a world champion to forfeit a game is very, very, I don’t know. I am speechless to be honest. It is very weird. First he gives up the title. Certainly, I was surprised. And then now this. I don’t want to draw any conclusions, but it’s very strange. But at least I got to beat him before he left!“. See the interview below
Read more: Magnus Carlsen withdraws from the Sinquefield Cup 2022 / Possible reasons of Magnus Carlsen’s withdrawal from the Sinquefield Cup 2022 / Sinquefield Cup’s players and organizers react to Carlsen’s withdrawal from the tournament
