• Hans Moke Niemann has cheated more than 100 times.
• Magnus Carlsen accused the American grandmaster.
• The 19-year-old grandmaster has since disputed the accusations.

Hans Moke Niemann has cheated more than 100 times, according to a Chess.com probe, the game’s leading online resource, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Magnus Carlsen, a five-time world chess champion, accused the American grandmaster, 19, of cheating more frequently than he previously admitted in a statement he issued last month, citing Niemann’s “unique” over-the-board advancement. The 19-year-old grandmaster has since disputed the accusations.

After losing to Niemann in the third round of the competition last month, Carlsen opted out of competing in the 2022 Sinquefield Cup. A week later, Carslen resigned from the Champions Chess Tour match versus Niemann after making just one move.

The Norwegian said that Niemann outplayed him despite employing black chess pieces, which are considered to be a disadvantage in the game, and doing so while not “completely focused on the game at important positions.”

Niemann has admitted to cheating twice online, once when he was 12 and once when he was 16, but he claims he has never played dishonestly in a face-to-face encounter and is even willing to play in the naked state to demonstrate his sincerity.

According to a 72-page investigation by Chess.com that was obtained by the Wall Street Journal, Niemann most certainly got illicit assistance in more than 100 online games, including prize-winning competitions, as recently as 2020.

“Strange patterns”

Carslen’s suspicions about Niemann’s ascent through the top echelons of professional in-person chess were confirmed by the report, which noted “several extraordinary signs and strange patterns in Hans’ journey as a player.”

According to the research, Hans is the top player in classical [over-the-board] chess and has risen the fastest outside of his online play. “Based only on rating, Hans should be included in this elite group of young players. We acknowledge that Hans is a talented player and that his outcomes are statistically exceptional despite no question.

Niemann was 17 years old at the most recent infractions, according to Chess.com, which uses multiple cheating-detection technologies, including ones that compare moves recommended by chess engines. He also claimed to have live-streamed 25 games.

In response, the website at the time terminated his account. A letter addressed to Niemann mentions his “blatant cheating” in a number of games, including one versus Russian chess champion Ian Nepomniachtchi, to raise his rating.

Chess.com typically conducts suspensions privately, but the 19-year-old openly questioned his removal from the site’s Global Championship, prompting an investigation after Chess.com felt “compelled to provide the grounds” for its choices.

The governing organization of chess, FIDE, is looking into the Niemann-Carlsen incident on its own.

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