World chess champion quits match against US rival, cheating implied

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Sep 11:42

Magnus Carlsen switches off his camera and resigns offering no clear explanation after one move against his American opponent Hans Neimann.

Norwegian Chess grandmaster quits online match against American nemesis

During an online game in the Julius Baer Generation Cup, Norwegian chess grandmaster and world champion, Magnus Carlsen, switched off his camera and resigned from the match after making a single move against his American opponent Hans Neimann.

Chess24 commentator Tania Sachdev said that "Magnus Carlsen just resigned. Switched off his camera. Got up and left. That's all we know right now".

19-year-old American Hans Neimann had been previously accused of cheating, even admitted doing so once as a 12-year-old in an online tournament, then as a 16-year-old while streaming unrated games, and is currently banned from Chess.com, the world's most popular chess website.

Earlier this month, Carlsen withdrew from a $500,000 tournament (Sinquefield Cup), held in St Louis, following a defeat by Neimann. Magnus announced the decision through a tweet, while adding a video of Jose Mourinho saying: "If I speak, I am in big trouble.”

Hikaru Nakamura, the world's best blitz chess player, claimed that Carlsen's action was due to suspicion that his American opponent had "probably cheated".

Following the "unprecedented" move by Carlsen, both players resumed their game schedules on Monday.

Sachdev commented on the incident by saying, “Magnus [is] just refusing to play against Hans. He will play the tournament, but he is saying ‘I will not play the game against him’. That’s making a very big statement.”

While Neimann admitted cheating before on two separate occasions some years ago, he stated that he was now clean and "never cheated in an over-the-board game,” adding that to prove his innocence he is ready to play in “a closed box with zero electronic transmission”.