Chess player Hans Niemann has broken his silence after being accused of widespread cheating – claiming he “will not back down”.
After winning the U.S. Championship in St. Louis on Wednesday, the 19-year-old was asked about the “elephant in the room.”
On Tuesday, a Chess.com investigation found that Niemann was “very likely” cheated in over 100 online games.
Earlier, the teenager sent shockwaves through the world chess world by defeating 31-year-old world champion Magnus Carlsen – considered the greatest player of all time.
Carlsen then accused Niemann of cheating and dropped the match with him after just one move.
But speaking about the cheating scandal for the first time in a month, Neiman told an interviewer in St. Louis: “This game is a message for everyone.
“It all started when I said ‘chess speaks for itself’ and I think this game speaks for itself and shows me to chess players.
“It also shows that I’m not going to back down and I’ll play my best chess here, no matter the pressure.”
Magnus Carlson.Image: Associated Press
Niman goes out
The 19-year-old later withdrew from the interview, adding: “You can leave your explanation to yourself, but thank you, that’s it.”
And when reporters tried to ask him more about the game itself, he said: “That’s all I can say because it was such a good game that I don’t even need to describe it.”
Chess.com has banned Niemann, the world’s most popular chess platform, for compiling its reports using detection tools and analysis of player moves against computer-recommended moves.
The investigation found no evidence that Niemann cheated face-to-face on Carlson or any other face-to-face game.
But it does suggest widespread online cheating.
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The platform said it wanted to “make it clear” that the “vast majority” of games did not involve “any cheating,” adding that “we estimate that less than 0.14% of players on Chess.com have ever cheated.”
The Chess Federation, the sport’s governing body, said it would convene a three-person panel to investigate allegations of cheating.
Cheating scandals have also rocked poker and fishing recently.
Two U.S. men charged Insert the weight into the fish To make them appear heavier, a poker game in Los Angeles was halted after a player suggested an impressive bluff was the result of vibrating communication devices.