International Chess Federation accuses world No.1 player of tarnishing game’s reputation

Magnus Carlsen, the world’s No. 1 chess player, has been accused of ‘damaging’ the game after he sensationally resigned from a match against a fellow grandmaster after one move over fears his rival was using anal beads to cheat. 

In a statement on Friday, the president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Arkady Dvorkovich, revealed he was not pleased with Carlsen’s behavior in withdrawing from the Sinquefield Cup and quitting his match against his 19-year-old opponent, Hans Niemann.

The resignation came amid rumors that Neimann cheated using a vibrating anal sex toy. 

Dvorkovich took aim at the world Carlsen, saying the 31-year-old Norwegian has a ‘moral responsibility’ because he is ‘viewed as a global ambassador of the game.’

‘His actions impact the reputation of his colleagues, sportive [sport-related] results, and eventually can be damaging to our game. We strongly believe that there were better ways to handle this situation,’ he said. 

The statement did not ‘specify’ what situation they were referring to, although it is likely the sensational claim about the anal beads, which Neimann has denied.

He is accused of using a vibrating, remotely-controlled sex toy to gain an advantage over Carlsen by getting an accomplice to buzz the device to guide him into making better moves.  

The president said the game’s governing body is looking creating a group of ‘specialists’ who will eradicate cheating from FIDE events. 

‘FIDE is prepared to task its Fair Play commission with a thorough investigation of the incident,’ Dvorkovich said. 

The chess body boss said further evidence would be needed before any such probe could begin.  

FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich is calling for a specialist team to be assembled to investigate cheating allegations in chess

Chess genius, Hans Niemann, 19, (pictured) lost in the quarter finals of the Julius Baer Generation Cup on Thursday. The teen has been accused of cheating in a slew of different and imaginative ways, including using vibrating anal beads to communicate with his coach 

US teen chess player Neimann lost in the quarterfinals Thursday, eliminating the possibility of a dramatic rematch between the cheating-plagued prodigy and Carlsen.  

Neimann lost against Le Quang Liem on Thursday. 

He has furiously denied using vibrating anal beads to receive tips on how to play. 

‘I have never cheated in an over-the-board game. If they want me to strip fully naked, I will do it,’ he said. 

The Bay Area native unexpectedly beat the world champion in a real-life battle for the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis a month before the online tournament on Chess24.

Any chance of a rematch against his rival Magnus Carlsen, 31 (pictured) – who dramatically resigned against Neimann in an earlier match – is no longer

The teenage chess star sparked rumors he was cheating by using remote-controlled vibrating anal beads to communicate with his coach, Maxim Dlugy.

Dlugy was banned from Chess.com in 2017 after allegedly cheating on one of the titles, and was the first to suspect Borislav Ivanov of cheating with a device in his shoes in 2013.

Dlugy, a former chess prodigy, was also jailed on charges of attempting to embezzle $9 million from a magnesium plant he ran in Russia, but he was later cleared of all charges.

Carlsen was quizzed on his thoughts on the bizarre claims of cheating by a reporter in Oslo.

‘Unfortunately, I cannot particularly speak on that but people can draw their own conclusions and they certainly have,’ Carlsen said. ‘I have to say I’m very impressed by Niemann’s play and I think his mentor Maxim Dlugy must be doing a great job.’

With Neimann’s recent loss, Carlsen will now go on to play Vincent Keymer in the semifinals, and if he wins, he will either face Liem or Argun Erigaisi. 

Carlsen stunned avid chess fans when he resigned from a rematch against Niemann after just a single move in the online Julius Baer Generation Cup

He has now refused to say if he believes Niemann was cheating during both of their games in an interview

He added he thought cheating in the sport was ‘easy’ to do, but he ‘wouldn’t recommend it’ no matter how ‘tempting’ it might be.

Carlsen also said he would ‘probably’ say a bit more on the entire situation when the entire tournament comes to an end.

During a preliminary round in the online tournament, Carlsen caught announcers by surprise when he made a single move with black, and then conceded defeat and logged out of the match. The week before, he left an over-the-board tournament after losing the Niemann.

Announcer Tania Sachdev said during the Carlsen vanishing act that it was ‘unprecedented,’ saying he was ‘making a very big statement’ by refusing to play Niemann.

It follows San Francisco-native Niemann’s victory over the Norwegian Carlsen – while the teen was playing black – at the Sinquefield Cup on September 4. 

FIDE, the world’s chess governing body, condemned Carlsen’s actions, saying ‘his actions impact the reputation of his colleagues, sportive results, and eventually can be damaging to our game. 

‘We strongly believe that there were better ways to handle this situation.’

Dlugy, pictured, was banned from Chess.com in 2017 after allegedly cheating on one of the Titles Tuesdays

When Carlsen dropped out of the St. Louis tournament without explanation, he posted a cryptic Tweet saying: ‘I’ve withdrawn from the tournament. I’ve always enjoyed playing in the @STLChessClub, and hope to be back in the future.’

Along with the tweet, he posted a cryptic video of football manager Jose Mourinho saying: ‘If I speak I am in big trouble.’

Mourinho had been speaking at a news conference after a game in which his team is believed to have lost because of some questionable decisions by officials.

Carlsen had played 53 classical matches without a loss and had won the cup twice before in the last decade, but had never withdrawn from an ongoing event.

Chess.com has declined to invite Niemann from Chess.com Global Championship, a $1million event starting with online qualifiers and culminating in an eight-player final in Toronto, after the controversy.

Niemann has furiously denied using vibrating anal beads to received tips on how to play – saying that he would ‘strip naked’ if needed

When Carlsen dropped out of the St. Louis tournament without explanation, he posted a cryptic Tweet saying: ‘I’ve withdrawn from the tournament. I’ve always enjoyed playing in the @STLChessClub, and hope to be back in the future’

Carlsen also said he would ‘probably’ say a bit more on the entire situation when the entire tournament comes to an end

Niemann has furiously denied using vibrating anal beads to receive tips on how to play. The teenage star said: ‘I have never cheated in an over-the-board game. If they want me to strip fully naked, I will do it.

‘I don’t care. Because I know I am clean. You want me to play in a closed box with zero electronic transmission, I don’t care. I’m here to win and that is my goal regardless.’

But critics note that his Elo rating, which gauges the strength of chess players, shot to 2701 after his victory over Carlsen, up from just 2484 in January 2021, a staggering rise that some find unlikely.

And Niemann has admitted to cheating in online chess tournaments when he was a child, saying that he deeply regrets it.

In one online match when he was 12, he says one of his friends brought over an iPad loaded with a ‘chess engine’ program that offered the most likely route to a win.

The person Niemann was playing couldn’t see him, and so was unaware of what was unfolding.