Chess player Hans Niemann ‘not going to back down’ despite cheating allegations

Miriam Burrell
·2 min read
Hans Niemann (INSTAGRAM)
Hans Niemann (INSTAGRAM)

Chess player Hans Niemann has said he is “not going to back down” from playing his “best chess” despite being accused of cheating in more than 100 games.

The 19-year-old American, who was accused of cheating by world champion Magnus Carlsen, played a convincing win against 15-year-old grandmaster Christopher Yoo on Wednesday.

In an interview following his victory, Mr Niemann was asked about “the elephant in the room”.

“This game is a message to everyone,” he replied.

“This entire thing started with me saying chess speaks for itself, I think this game spoke for itself and showed the chess player I am.

“I’m not going to back down, I’m going to play my best chess here despite the pressure I’m under.”

Mr Niemann refused to discuss any questions about the game and began to take his microphone off, ending the interview.

“That’s all I’m going to say. It was such a beautiful game I don’t even need to describe it,” he quipped.

His comments come after Chess.com said it is “likely” the US player acted outside of the rules “much more often” during online games than he has previously admitted to.

Chess.com launched an investigation after the allegations by Mr Carlsen.

The world champion posted on social media that he thought the American cheated more frequently and recently than in the online games he admitted to - including in their Sinquefield Cup encounter over the board.

On Tuesday, Chess.com revealed their own probe found Mr Niemann may have cheated as recently as 2020 and won prize money during a fraudulent game.

“Overall, we have found that Hans has likely cheated in more than 100 online chess games, including several prize money events,” the report said.

However, there was no evidence in their 72-page report that he cheated while playing in person or in any game against Mr Carlsen.

Chess.com said that the win against Mr Carlsen in St Louis was “statistically extraordinary,” and that Mr Niemann’s rise to the world’s top 50 was the fastest in modern history and at a later age than other high-flying juniors.

Mr Niemann admitted to cheating in online games when he was younger but has said those days are long behind him. He said: “I don’t care [about the allegations] because I know I am clean.

“You want me to play in a closed box with zero electronic transmission, I don’t care. I’m here to win and that is my goal regardless.”

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