Carlsen vs Niemann: Chess world looks for irrefutable proof

By choosing to resign after just one move against Hans Niemann in the sixth round of the Julius Baer Generation Cup – an online tournament – on Monday night, Magnus Carlsen has reignited the scrutiny on his opponent’s integrity amid allegations of cheating that have been levelled on the American.

The Norwegian five-time world champion, playing with black pieces, responded to Niemann’s opening pawn move by moving his knight to e6. Niemann moved another pawn to c4, but Carlsen’s intention to make a statement became clear as he resigned and switched off his camera without offering any rationale for his action.

This was the first time that Carlsen was facing Niemann since losing to him in the third round of the Sinquefield Cup – an over-the-board tournament – in St Louis earlier this month. Carlsen subsequently withdrew from the tournament, announcing his decision in a tweet with a video of football manager Jose Mourinho saying: “If I speak, I am in big trouble.”

It was the first time that Carlsen had pulled out of an event. That the Norwegian was suspecting Niemann to have cheated was suggested by American Grandmaster (GM) Hikaru Nakamura. “Magnus would never do this in a million years,” he said. “He just doesn’t do that. He’s the ultimate competitor, he’s a world champion. He wouldn’t do this unless he really strongly believes Hans is cheating with a very strong conviction. I think he just thinks Hans is just cheating, straight out.”

In the aftermath, the 19-year-old Niemann vehemently denied indulging in any foul play against Carlsen but conceded that he had cheated in the past – in an online tournament at the age of 12 and in unrated games while streaming at 16. Chess.com, the world’s most popular chess website, subsequently banned Niemann from its platform.

That Carlsen has a problem specifically against Niemann is apparent considering he beat Levon Aronian and drew against R Praggnanandhaa after the shock resignation on Monday night. Without putting out any evidence, though, Carlsen is at the risk of denting Niemann’s credibility.

“It looks like he is clearly insinuating something but until you catch someone you cannot do anything,” Anish Giri, world No 7, told chess24.com. “It just looks very odd now. Clearly, it all makes sense if Hans is cheating and he doesn’t want to play him but if he isn’t then it is really very wrong.”

“I think it’s pretty clear that he doesn’t have it (evidence of Niemann cheating) because if he had there would be no need to do that. It’s pretty clear to me that he is convinced, or near convinced, that that is the case. Based on the evidence that is already public he just made that call. It’s a big problem playing people who have been banned and especially people who have admitted to cheating online before because you lose trust in them. Insinuating cheating is a big problem as well, so these things have to be resolved.”

Aronian said he understood Carlsen’s frustration. “I do believe Hans has not been the cleanest person when it comes to online chess,” he told chess24.com. “But he’s a young guy. Hopefully, this will be a lesson to him not to do any bad things online. Generally, I think this is a problem that requires a solution, and there are solutions.”

Professor Kenneth Regan – an expert on detecting cheating in chess – offered his verdict after analysing all of Niemann’s games over the past couple of years. “There is no reason whatsoever to suspect him of cheating,” he told ChessBase. “The wide range of results in a bell curve, with some good and some bad, is actually a sign of a healthy distribution of results. Many of the so-called points of suspicion are in fact quite normal and suspicion is really the result of faulty analysis by zealous amateurs. Even online, his play has been quite devoid of anything unusual.”

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