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He’s the Bad Boy of Chess. But Did He Cheat? He’s the Bad Boy of Chess. But Did He Cheat?
(about 11 hours later)
The day before he beat the greatest chess player in the world, Hans Niemann was a curly-haired 19-year-old American known only to serious fans of the game and mostly as an abrasive jerk. Everyone, it seems, has a story. Like that time in June, when he’d lost in the finals of a tournament in Prague, then stood in the ballroom of the hotel where the event was held and ranted against the city and the accommodations.The day before he beat the greatest chess player in the world, Hans Niemann was a curly-haired 19-year-old American known only to serious fans of the game and mostly as an abrasive jerk. Everyone, it seems, has a story. Like that time in June, when he’d lost in the finals of a tournament in Prague, then stood in the ballroom of the hotel where the event was held and ranted against the city and the accommodations.
“I tried to talk to him about it,” said Jacob Aagaard, a Danish grandmaster who has taught Mr. Niemann and known him for years. The talk did not help. Mr. Niemann brushed off all advice, predicting he’d soon play at such an exceptional level that he’d get invited to tournaments no matter how boorishly he behaved.“I tried to talk to him about it,” said Jacob Aagaard, a Danish grandmaster who has taught Mr. Niemann and known him for years. The talk did not help. Mr. Niemann brushed off all advice, predicting he’d soon play at such an exceptional level that he’d get invited to tournaments no matter how boorishly he behaved.
On Sept. 4, Mr. Niemann defeated Magnus Carlsen, an even-tempered, 32-year-old Norwegian who had become a grandmaster at 13, earning him the nickname “the Mozart of chess.” Mr. Carlsen went on to win five world championships as well as mainstream celebrity, including a stint as a spokesmodel for the fashion brand G-Star Raw.On Sept. 4, Mr. Niemann defeated Magnus Carlsen, an even-tempered, 32-year-old Norwegian who had become a grandmaster at 13, earning him the nickname “the Mozart of chess.” Mr. Carlsen went on to win five world championships as well as mainstream celebrity, including a stint as a spokesmodel for the fashion brand G-Star Raw.
The loss to Mr. Niemann occurred at the Sinquefield Cup, a prestigious round robin tournament in St. Louis with a $350,000 purse. Mr. Carlsen did not take this setback quietly. Instead, he accused his opponent of cheating, though he didn’t say so outright. He announced in a tweet that he was quitting the Cup and appended a video clip of a well-known professional soccer coach saying, “If I speak, I am in big trouble.”The loss to Mr. Niemann occurred at the Sinquefield Cup, a prestigious round robin tournament in St. Louis with a $350,000 purse. Mr. Carlsen did not take this setback quietly. Instead, he accused his opponent of cheating, though he didn’t say so outright. He announced in a tweet that he was quitting the Cup and appended a video clip of a well-known professional soccer coach saying, “If I speak, I am in big trouble.”
The cheating implication was so obvious that Sinquefield organizers quickly added a 15-minute delay to the online broadcast of games and players were checked with a radio frequency scanner. This fueled speculation that Mr. Niemann was getting help from some kind of electronic device, secreted on, or maybe in, his body.
By the time that Mr. Niemann sat for a post-match interview with a Sinquefield commentator two days later, he was livid. Yes, he had confessed to cheating on Chess.com, the largest online playing platform, once when he was 12 and again at 16, to expand his online following and compete against better players. But he had learned his lesson and toiled for redemption.