Investigation clears Hans Niemann of cheating in over-the-board match with Magnus Carlsen, online games under scrutiny
A FIDE report concludes the highly controversial chess scandal between Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann, stating that Niemann did not cheat in their over-the-board match However, Niemann's involvement in up to 55 online games reveals a different story altogether
Five-time world chess champion Magnus Carlsen and US grandmaster Hans Niemann were involved in a cheating scandal that rocked the sport. However, it appears that the controversy has finally come to an end with the release of a report by FIDE, the governing body of the sports world. The scandal erupted when US chess prodigy Niemann was accused of cheating by Carlsen after defeating the Norwegian at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis.
In 2022, Niemann stated in an interview with the St. Louis Chess Club that he had never cheated in over-the-board games, according to CNN. However, he did acknowledge cheating in "random games on Chess.com" in his younger years, which he described as "the single biggest mistake of my life."
Following an investigation by the Fair Play Commission (FPL) into the cheating allegations, FIDE's statement on Wednesday indicated that "Carlsen's suspicions of cheating were based on reasonable grounds, despite the final conclusion that GM Niemann had not committed over-the-board cheating."
The FIDE statement stated that GM Carlsen's belief was based on GM Niemann's admission of online cheating and a report from Chess.com. According to the 72-page report from Chess.com in 2022, Niemann was accused of "likely cheating" in over 100 online matches between July 2015 and August 2020, some of which were prize money events.
The FIDE report revealed that Professor Kenneth Regan, an expert in computer chess cheating, identified "instances of cheating" by Niemann in approximately 32-55 online chess games, a much lower number than the 100 suggested by Chess.com. Additionally, Regan found "discrepancies" in Niemann's claim that he had only cheated between the ages of 12 and 16.
After turning 17 in June, he played games in 2017 and games against Bok in August 2020. The FIDE report stated that the cheating occurred in rated online games. Additionally, the report found no statistical evidence supporting GM Niemann cheating in over-the-board games in an analysis of 13 tournaments over the past three years.
The report stated that there was no statistical basis for cheating in GM Niemann's overall performance in the Sinquefield Cup. According to the FIDE report, GM Niemann's performance over the years is in line with his expected level of play, showing both peaks and troughs.
The FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission (EDC) stated in the report that the case was deemed to be a "grey area," where a complaint can be valid even if the accused person is not found guilty of cheating.
The commission considered Carlsen's accusation against Niemann as being made in response to Niemann's own confession. This, in the Chamber's view, lessens the recklessness or unfounded nature of Carlsen's statement, as Niemann had admitted to cheating.
The report also featured analysis from two anonymous grandmasters regarding the possibility of cheating in the games.
"Neither GM suspected cheating, as the games were typical for a GM-level player," stated the FIDE report. "However, one GM did express some doubts about the legitimacy of certain games."
CNN has contacted Niemann's legal team and Carlsen's representatives for their comments.
The EDC also determined that Carlsen was not found guilty on three charges, including reckless or unfounded accusations of cheating in chess, defamation of FIDE's reputation and interests, and an attempt to undermine honor.
However, the EDC did find Carlsen guilty of withdrawing from the 2022 Sinquefield Cup "without valid reason." He was fined â¬10,000 ($10,800) as a result.
Carlsen plays during the 2023 Global Chess League against Poland's Jan-Krzysztof Duda.
Kamran Jebreili/AP
"The EDC determined that GM Carlsen's decision to withdraw from the Sinquefield Cup was unjustified. FIDE stated that if Carlsen had concerns about his opponent's fair play, he should have filed a confidential cheating complaint with the organizers. "I am relieved to have the case behind me," Carlsen told TV 2 in Toronto, as reported by Chess.com. "It's evident that things could have been much worse."
Niemann had previously filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Chess.com, Carlsen, and popular streamer and player Hikaru Nakamura. However, this lawsuit was dismissed by a judge in June, as reported by CNN. Following this, he was reinstated to Chess.com, which is known as the world's largest online platform for chess, hosting more than 10 million games every day.
