The top-ranked chess player in the world, Magnus Carlsen, has come under fire for ‘damaging’ the game after sensationally quitting a game against another grandmaster after only one move.
In a statement released on Friday, Arkady Dvorkovich, the head of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), expressed his displeasure with Carlsen’s actions in departing the Sinquefield Cup and his match against Hans Niemann, a 19-year-old opponent.
The resignation was brought on by suspicions that Neimann had engaged in anal sex toy cheating.
The 31-year-old Norwegian has a “moral obligation” since he is “viewed as a worldwide ambassador of the game,” according to Dvorkovich, who directed his criticism at Carlsen.
His activities have an adverse effect on his coworkers’ reputations, sporting outcomes, and ultimately our game. We really feel that there were more effective ways to approach this circumstance,’ he added.
The incident to which they were alluding was not “specified” in the statement.
The president said that the organisation in charge of overseeing the sport is aiming to form a team of “specialists” who would stop cheating at FIDE competitions.
The event will be thoroughly investigated by FIDE’s Fair Play committee, according to Dvorkovich.
Neimann, a teenage American chess player, was defeated in the quarterfinals on Thursday, ruling out the potential of a thrilling rematch between Carlsen and the prodigy who has been accused of cheating.
On Thursday, Neimann was defeated by Le Quang Liem.
He has vehemently denied using vibrating anal beads to get playing advice.
“I have never cheated in an excessively competitive game.” I’ll go completely nude if they want me to, he added.
A month before the online competition on Chess24, the Bay Area native surprisingly defeated the world champion in a match for the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis.
The young chess prodigy allegedly engaged in cheating by talking to his tutor Maxim Dlugy via remote-controlled vibrating anal beads.
Dlugy was the first to accuse Borislav Ivanov of cheating with a device in his shoes in 2013, and he was the one who got him banned from Chess.com in 2017 for allegedly cheating on one of the games.
Former chess prodigy Dlugy was imprisoned on suspicion of trying to steal $9 million from a Russian magnesium company he managed, but he was ultimately exonerated of all allegations.
A reporter in Oslo questioned Carlsen about his opinions about the absurd accusations of cheating.
Unfortunately, I am unable to specifically address that; nonetheless, individuals are free to make their own conclusions, which they undoubtedly have done.
I must admit that Niemann’s performance astonished me much, and I believe that his tutor Maxim Dlugy is doing a fantastic job.
Carlsen will now play Vincent Keymer in the semifinals after Neimann’s recent defeat, and if he prevails, he will either play Liem or Argun Erigaisi.
Even while it could be “tempting,” he said, he “wouldn’t encourage” cheating in sports even if he believed it to be “simple” to accomplish.
Carlsen said that he will “probably” provide a few more details to the problem after the tournament is over.
Carlsen surprised the broadcasters during a preliminary round of the online competition when he played one move with black, then gave up and logged out.
He abandoned an all-inclusive event the previous week after dropping the Niemann.
Tania Sachdev, the announcer, referred to Carlsen’s disappearing act as “unusual” and claimed that by declining to play Niemann, he was “making a very huge statement.”
It comes after Niemann, a resident of San Francisco, defeated Carlsen, a Norwegian, on September 4 at the Sinquefield Cup when the teenager was using the black chess piece.
The organisation that governs chess worldwide, FIDE, criticised Carlsen’s behaviour, stating that “his actions damage the reputation of his colleagues, sporting outcomes, and ultimately may be destructive to our game.”
“We firmly feel that this matter should have been handled in a better manner.”
I’ve withdrew from the event, Carlsen cryptically tweeted after quitting the St. Louis tournament without explanation. I’ve always had a good time playing at the @STLChessClub, and I want to return soon.
In addition to the tweet, he also shared a mysterious video of Jose Mourinho, the manager of Real Madrid, saying: “If I talk, I’m in deep danger.”
Mourinho was addressing at a press conference after a game in which his side is seen to have lost due to some dubious officiating rulings.
Carlsen had won the cup twice in the previous ten years and had won 53 games in a row in traditional chess, but he had never quit a game in progress.
After the uproar, Chess.com decided not to invite Niemann to the $1 million Chess.com Global Championship, an event that begins with online qualifications and ends in an eight-player final in Toronto.
Niemann has vehemently denied using vibrating anal beads to get playing advice. I have never cheated in an excessively competitive game, the adolescent star said. I will go completely nude if they demand it.
“I don’t mind. because I am clean, I know that. I don’t mind if you want me to perform in a sealed space with no electronic transmission. I’m here to win, and that will always be my objective.
However, detractors point out that his Elo rating, which measures chess players’ power, rocketed to 2701 following his triumph against Carlsen from merely 2484 in January 2021, a startling leap that some believe is improbable.
Additionally, Niemann has expressed his regret at having cheated in online chess competitions as a youngster.
When he was twelve, one of his buddies, according to him, brought over an iPad that was preloaded with a “chess engine” application that provided the most probable path to victory during one online match.
Niemann’s character was unable to see him, therefore he was blind to what was happening.