Hans Niemann, a US chess grandmaster, was accused of cheating by Magnus Carlsen during their Sinquefield Cup 2022 face-off in September. Carlsen, who is the reigning world chess champion, released a statement on Tuesday where he claimed that Niemann has cheated in more games than he has admitted. 

The cheating allegations surfaced after Carlsen lost the match-up with Niemann at the Sinquefield Cup and abruptly withdrew from the tournament without giving any rationale. Their next meeting at the Julius Baer Generation Cup ended with Carlsen resigning on move one. 

Also read: Magnus Carlsen believes Hans Niemann cheated ‘more than he admits’

Following his withdrawal from the Sinquefield Cup, the 31-year-old posted a Jose Mourhino video subtitled with a quote from one of Mourhino’s pressers that said, “If I speak, I am in big trouble.”

Who is Hans Niemann? 

Hans Niemann is a chess grandmaster from US who is currently ranked number 39 in the world with a FIDE rating of 2702 (as of September 2022). He is a self-taught player who crossed the 2500 FIDE rating point to become a grandmaster in January 2021. 

Niemann was born on June 20, 2003, in San Francisco, California. He attended the Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School which is known for its chess culture. The 19-year-old played his first rated chess tournament in 2012 and climbed the rating ladder rapidly after that. 

Niemann has admitted to cheating previously and he was banned from competing on Chess.com for two years, as a result of it. The 19-year-old is known for his unkempt style and carefree approach to chess. When he beat Carlsen at the FTX Crypto Cup in Miami, Florida, he told the interviewer after the match that his “chess speaks for itself.”

Although Carlsen has been vocal about Niemann’s cheating, he has not explained on what basis he is drawing his conclusions.

Also read: Magnus Carlsen defeats Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi on Day One of Julius Baer Generation Cup

Even in the September 27 statement, the Norweigian said, “There is more that I would like to say. Unfortunately, at this time I am limited in what I can say without explicit permission from Niemann to speak openly.”

However, the world champion said that his “actions have stated clearly” that is not willing to play chess with Niemann anymore.