Controversial chess player ‘likely cheated’ in over 100 online chess games, research says

the fiery fraud scandal The last month that has occupied the chess world seems to be drawing to a close, and it looks like 19-year-old grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann has found himself in checkmate.

A re-released Chess.com investigation first viewed by The Wall Street Journal claims Niemann likely received illicit help in over 100 online games, with some of the scams recurring as recently as two years ago. In addition to the online games, the investigation found numerous “irregularities” in Niemann’s personal games. According to the report, Niemann himself apparently privately confessed to some of the allegations of fraud.

“All in all, we determined that Hans probably cheated in more than 100 online chess games, including several prize-money events,” reads a screenshot of the investigation. The investigation reportedly includes a letter to Niemann giving examples of “apparent fraud” to boost his ratings.

Niemann reportedly confessed to the cheating allegations to Chess.com Chief Chess Officer (yes, that’s a thing) Danny Rensch on a phone call in 2020. The investigation finds that Niemann’s suspicious moves were synchronized with times when he opened new screens on his computer, suggesting he may have been secretly using an illegal chess engine to inform him of his best move options.

“While we have no doubt that Hans is a talented player, we note that his results are statistically exceptional,” the report reads diary.

The explosive revelations follow weeks theatreand finally cheating accusations by world chess champion Magnus Carlsen. For those still catching up, Carlsen shocked the chess world withdraw from the 2022 Sinquefield Cup after losing to Niemann Carlsen posted a rather cryptic tweet after his withdrawal suggesting that Niemann cheated. Weeks later, Carlsen faced Nielmann again in the Online Julius Baer Generation Cup turn off its power after just two moves, presumably in protest. Carlsen continued to silently hint at the scam before finally making it official expression last week, where he called cheating “an existential threat” to chess.

“I believe Niemann has cheated more – and more recently – than he has publicly admitted,” Carlsen wrote. “His progression across the board was unusual and throughout our game at the Sinquefield Cup I got the impression he wasn’t tense in critical positions or even fully focused on the game.”

The new Chess.com investigation appears to back Carlsen’s claims. Niemann previously admitted to cheating when he was 12 and 16, which he described as “the biggest single mistake of my life”. If that’s the case, the new report suggests Niemann certainly didn’t learn his lesson.

Chess.com says it uses numerous analytics to determine whether or not players are consulting chess engines or other illegal applications. The company monitors players’ past performance and also reportedly compares players’ moves to those recommended by chess engines. However, confirming cheating allegations in physical over-the-board games is much more difficult. One way or another, Chess.com wouldn’t say definitively whether Niemann personally cheated, but reportedly said some of his strongest performances “deserve further investigation based on the data.”

The results of the investigation are likely to send shockwaves through the chess world. Unfortunately, as far as we can tell, the inquiry declined to consider the theory that Niemann allegedly received train instructions vibrating anal beads stuck his ass up.

You can read the full report below.