The Norwegian government broadcasting company NRK yesterday revealed that the President of the Norwegian Chess Federation IM Joachim Birger Nilsen cheated online during the Pro Chess League played on chess.com in 2016/2017 season. Nilsen confessed he received outside help from a person who was hidden in the room while he played.
Faced with a wave of critics, Joachim Nilsen today resigned from his position in the Norwegian Chess Federation, reports NRK. It has been a great honor to contribute as a chairman of the Norwegian Chess Federation and Youth Chess Association and I will not forget this experience. At the same time, the only right thing is to step down as a chairman now, says Nilsen in his statement.
The Norwegian Chess Federation board confirmed the news: “We greatly understand that and appreciate that he takes responsibility for his own actions and chooses to put the best interests of the chess family before himself. In his time as a trustee, both as leader of the Youth Chess Association and president of the Norwegian Chess Association, he has been hard-working and helped to initiate several developing processes that chess will enjoy in the years to come. The board thanks him for his efforts and wishes him the best of luck in the future“.
