Key Points
- Chess.com has announced chess champion Hans Niemann has likely cheated more than 100 times online.
- The popular chess website released a 72-page report after its investigation into cheating allegations against the 19-year-old champion.
Chess.com has announced US chess grandmaster Hans Niemann has likely cheated more than 100 times online in shocking new findings that have rocked the chess world.
The popular chess website on Tuesday after launching an investigation into allegations against the 19-year-old champion that he has cheated in both online and over-the-board games.
Chess.com's allegations of Niemann's extensive cheating are far greater than what he has previously admitted. Niemann has said he has only cheated twice in his career, once when he was 12 and once when he was 16.
Allegations of cheating emerged last month when Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen suffered a surprising defeat in the US Sinquefield Cup after playing against Niemann in-person.
The Norwegian then resigned at the Julius Baer Generation Cup after just one move against Niemann in an online game. His withdrawal had prompted swirling suspicions of Niemann cheating more than what he had let on.
Carlsen said last week he believed Niemann "cheated more, and more recently, than he has publicly admitted".
Niemann has insisted he is "clean" and offered to play nude to remove any suggestion he may have been receiving information from a third party who could transmit signals through some sort of device concealed on his body.
Chess.com said there was "no direct evidence" that Niemann has cheated in any over-the-board games, including the match against Carlsen.
To determine its findings, the website used sophisticated technology that it said has been well known for detecting cheating for more than 15 years.
Niemann has previously been banned from chess.com for cheating online after admitting he had not played fairly in non-competitive games on the website in his youth in previous interviews. He also said in a past interview that he has never cheated while streaming.
But according to the report, Niemann likely cheated in 25 games while streaming.
Niemann's invitation to participate in Chess.com's next major online event has since been revoked.
"We want the best for Hans. We want the best for Magnus. We want the best for chess. We want stability, fairness, and joy in the chess community, not turbulence, conspiracy, and accusations," Chess.com said in the conclusion to its report.
