Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit recently raised the profile of the 1400-annualold chess game, but the game didn’t really go 21st-century went viral until a false scandal divided the chess community on September 5.
The 31-year-old reigning World Chess champion Magnus Carlsen abruptly withdrew of the Sinquefield Cup chess competition in St. Louis, Missouri, after a surprise loss to 19-year-old Hans Niemann. Co-chess grandmaster at the time Hikaru Nakamura speculated that Carlsen may have withdrawn because he suspected Niemann of suspicious behavior during their match.
“I believe Niemann has cheated more and more recently than he has publicly admitted,” Carlsen tweeted a few weeks later. “His progress across the board was unusual, and during our play in the Sinquefield Cup I had the impression that he was not tense or even fully focused on the game… I am not willing to play chess with Niemann. I hope the truth of this matter comes to light.”
Hans Niemann turned out to be cheating far more often than he had previously admitted
After Carlsen’s withdrawal, Niemann admitted that he had been caught cheating in online matches on Chess.com in the past when he was 12 and 16 years old. old, but claimed he no longer cheats. In general, when playing online, a player can easily use one of many chess analysis engines available, which can help out players analyze spell in ways far beyond their natural abilities.
The state of affairs in St. Louis has gripped the global chess community, with some defending Niemann’s sudden rise. Others wonder how he could have cheated in a live match in which players are checked with a metal detector when entering the facility (used to prevent players from receiving remote controls instructions via vibration broadcast by, for example, a mobile device).
Without any evidence of wrongdoing, Niemann has continued to participate in chess competitions, with each win seemingly bolstering his claims of innocence. However, on October 4, Chess.com published a damning 72 page report focused on Niemann and his behavior on the site.
“We found that Hans probably cheated in more than 100 online chess games, including several prize money events,” Chess.com founder Erik Allebest and the site’s chief Danny Rensch said in the report. “He was already 17 when he probably cheated in some of these matches and games. He was also streaming in 25 of these games.”
While the report does not come to a conclusion regarding the personal chess match between Carlsen and Niemann, the organizers of the site, which has 75 million members in 35 countries, stated: “We have uninvited Hans from our upcoming major online event and his access to our site.”
Since the September 5 incident, Niemann has denied any wrongdoing in interviews and on social media. However, a day after the Chess.com report was released, he avoided discussion the site’s findings during a post-match interview at the US Chess Championship in St. Louis.
Even those unfamiliar with the silent world of chess are fascinated by the drama that unfolded
The mystery surrounding Niemann’s personal playing behavior has become a viral conversation on social media, putting the usually quiet and non-technical chess game in the spotlight.
So far, no one has been able to come up with a solid theory of how Niemann may have made less than reasonable moves during his live chess games. But new footage from his most recent match indicates he is now being monitored more closely than some other players. Above all, people are talking about chess – even Elon Musk is jokingly speculating about how the chess player would have received help during his matches.
Niemann’s fate in the chess world is uncertain, but a byproduct of the controversial chain of events is a renewed interest in chess, an immutable game that struggles to compete with the popularity of console and mobile games.
But if the vinyl revival and the Gen Z embrace of all things retro have proven, the only thing that keeps chess from gaining popularity is attention. Chess has more of that now than it has had in a long time.
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