Magnus Carlsen withdrew from the 2022 Sinquefield Cup following a loss to 19-year-old Hans Niemann before resigning in another match against the young Grandmaster only a week later. Now, Carlsen has opened up about his belief that his opponent cheated during those faceoffs.
The drama between Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann has taken the internet by storm. From cryptic tweets to accusations of explicit items being used to cheat in-game, the fallout of Carlsen’s initial defeat made shockwaves throughout the community.
While it was immediately clear something was off after the #1 player in the world’s abrupt exit during the Sinquefield Cup, he has now shared a statement in which he officially accused Niemann of cheating and claims that he has more information to discuss if he’s ever allowed to do so.
Magnus Carlsen’s statement on Hans Niemann
The Norwegian Chess expert started things off by saying that he knows his actions have been frustrating for fans of the game and that he is frustrated as well. He went on to say that he is worried about how cheating could affect the rest of the competitive world, labeling it an “existential threat” before diving into the specifics of Neimann’s performance against him.
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“I believe that Neimann has cheated more – and more recently – than he has publicly admitted,” the World Champion said. “His over the board progress has been unusual and at the Sinquefield Cup I had the impression that he wasn’t even tense or fully concentrating on the game in critical positions, while outplaying me as black in a way that I think only a handful of players can do.”
My statement regarding the last few weeks. pic.twitter.com/KY34DbcjLo
— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) September 26, 2022
Carlsen also mentioned that the first match completely changed his perspective and insists that he has more relevant information to share but can’t do so without permission from Niemann first. Until that time though, it doesn’t look like he’ll be taking part in any event where the young talent is also invited.
“So far I have only been able to speak with my actions, and those actions have stated clearly that I am not willing to play Chess with Niemann. I hope the truth on this matter comes out, whatever it may be,” he ended.
