World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen today published the official statement on the controversy related to the cheating allegations against Hans Niemann. Magnus Carlsen withdrew from the Sinquefield Cup 2022 after losing to Hans Niemann in the third round of the event, and two weeks later refused to play against Niemann in the Julius Baer Generation Cup. Carlsen resigned after only two played moves. Rumors and speculations that Carlsen suspected Niemann was cheating overwhelmed social medias, but Magnus Carlsen didn’t want to speak about the controversy and announced the official statement which he has published today. Magnus confirmed that he considered to withdraw from the Sinquefield Cup 2022 as soon as he heard that Niemann will be the replacement for Richard Rapport in the tournament, and for the first time he said that he believes Niemann has cheated more than he admitted in the interview given during the Sinquefield Cup. See the official statement by Magnus Carlsen below
In the latest interview, after winning the Julius Baer Generation Cup, Carlsen said that this will not be the only we hear from him on the topic. Hikaru Nakamura was one of the first to react to Carlsen’s official statement saying that it seems that Carlsen thinks Hans was cheating in the game they played at the Sinquefield Cup despite what was said by the organizers, chief arbiter, and Kenneth Regan. See all reactions here
#TweetOftheDay: Is Carlsen’s statement the end, the beginning of the end, or only the end of the beginning?
The timetable of happenings related to Carlsen – Niemann case:
