Carlsen-Niemann… good for chess?

Today, one of the most anticipated events will take place in Paris, France, with Magnus Carlsen facing nemesis Hans Niemann. The two will be battling in a semifinal match in chess.com Speed Chess Championship. Hikaru Nakamura will play Alireza Firouzja in the other match. The buzz centers around the 2022 controversy created when Carlsen accused Niemann of cheating in the Sinquefield Cup.

Magnus Carlsen vs. Hans Niemann in the infamous game at the 2022 Sinquefield
Photo by Crystal Fuller

Carlsen’s claim and subsequent withdrawal created a firestorm as the world’s top player suspected that Niemann cheated in winning the game. These accusations were handled years before the game with Carlsen, but they were used as a basis for the Sinquefield accusations. In the end, Niemann sued several parties for collusion, but one of the four counts was dismissed. Niemann’s counsel considered filing in a more appropriate jurisdiction, but the parties reached an out-of-court settlement.

The controversy went viral, but was this really good for chess? So many false narratives were being purported as amateurs began to pose as research authorities on cheat detection, circulating all types of dubious analysis. The tragedy is that much of the analysis was taken as scientific. Some psychologists even weighed in on Niemann’s body language as if they were conducting criminal forensics. In fact, mass shooters in America don’t receive the same viral condemnation and scrutiny. In America, they chalk it up to being another mentally ill individual and move on quickly.

How did Carlsen come out of this? How did Niemann come out of this?

Carlsen

Carlsen carries a lot of weight as the world’s #1 player and a five-time World Champion. His claims about Niemann cheating (while veiled in a Tweet) were taken seriously. In fact, Niemann was vilified on a global scale, an occurrence not experienced by any chess player in history. It also started an unfortunate trend where cheating accusations were thrown around in a reckless fashion, with even Hikaru Nakamura being accused of cheating. After withdrawing from Sinquefield, resigning after one move, and doubling down on the suspicions, Carlsen finally admitted that there was no determinative evidence that Niemann cheated in their encounter. He cited the chess.com’s 72-page report as the basis of his admission.

As time went on, Carlsen’s accusations looked more and more dubious, and many who were convinced he had grounds for accusing Niemann have even begun to defend Niemann. Rex Sinquefield, the influential chess philanthropist, stated that he was embarrassed that the scandal happened at his tournament and indicated that Niemann was treated unfairly by the world’s press. For Carlsen, he has experienced the loss of his mother and has a lot of emotions in the upcoming match. The question of whether his legacy will be tarnished has been discussed, but if he can play this match and demonstrate a bit of grace, much of it can be repaired.

Niemann

Almost two years ago, Niemann had become a global pariah and was the butt of jokes in the chess world. After the chess world viciously called for Niemann’s lifetime ban and assigned him the most hideous punishments, mass media and comedy shows piled on, and the reputation of chess also took a dive. In the end, millions of comments were generated about a 19-year-old whose offense was cheating at online chess in “multiple games” as a minor. Of course, the initial cheating happened years earlier, and Niemann had already served his punishment and been reinstated. Despite Carlsen lodging his complaint without tangible evidence, Niemann was re-banned, and an invitation was withdrawn to a chess.com tournament he had legitimately qualified for.

A few influencers opined that Niemann was probably 2500 strength and his rise to 2700 was “unnatural.” Others parroted this notion. Top streamers gave these hack researchers and pundits a platform to heap more vile comments upon Niemann. All of these events caused organizations to steer clear of Niemann, causing him to lose valuable time in pursuing his championship goal. Many still hold on to old tropes like “he can’t explain his moves,” but if one has watched his analysis sessions, he appears more than capable. However, how does one account for the mental anguish that he suffered in a two-year period when his character was being assailed in hundreds of posts, videos, streams, and tweets… nonstop?

Here he discusses the issue in an interview with Daniel Naroditsky:

Hans Niemann reflects on the damage done to his reputation and psyche over the past two years following the 2022 cheating scandal
byu/recallingmemories inchess

Who Benefited?

In the interview with Naroditsky of chess.com, he lambasted the company and referred to his detractors as the “chess mafia.” It was a type of venting of a bitter person having to repair his reputation at every turn. Chess.com admittedly handled aspects of the controversy very poorly, and while the legal case was aborted, it did appear as if they were unfairly targeting Niemann. The business deal with Carlsen only heightened suspicions of collusion.

As for Niemman, the saga seemed to give him a stronger resolve as he tweeted regularly about his intentions to shock the world. More recently, he has staged a “Hans Against the World” tour, playing some of the world’s top Grandmasters. This tour, as well as other events, has seen him with match wins over Vidit Gujrathi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Anish Giri, Wesley So, Nikita Vitiugov, and Etienne Bacrot… quite an impressive lineup.

In essence, the turn of events may cause one to believe that Niemann benefited from the scandal. Is this really true? It is true that Niemann has remained in the spotlight and his games are a must-watch. He plays an exciting brand of chess and is now #16 in the world at 2733. Any notion that he is anything less than a 2700-caliber player should now be laid to rest. Those who have asserted that he is 2500-strength need to be outed (i.e., Rafael Leite, Yosha Iglesias). However, Niemann has failed to secure top invites that other rising players seem to be getting. In the long run, it appears that Niemann has come out stronger, but some of it is due to his own self-promotion and mental fortitude.

In the Final Analysis…

Chess did not come out as a winner in this saga. People who did not understand chess were asking (with a straight face) how it was possible to cheat with sex toys. Interviews covering the controversy reverting to similar discussions about sex toys. Of course, it was a joke that went viral and was taken as a fact. Even a journalist as serious as Piers Morgan asked about it.

Seriously?

A former World Champion falsely accusing a 19-year-old after losing does not provide good optics. It turns out it was a baseless allegation after which Carlsen was not reprimanded. This also caused many to say that Carlsen seems to have been given Carte Blanche to do what he wants… quitting championships matches only months before they are to be held, quitting elite tournaments, quitting games after one move, making false allegations with no penalty as was assessed in the Mihaela Sandu case.

Other than assessing a 10,000 euro penalty, FIDE had no role in deescalating the situation and watched idly as it ran through the chess world, bringing the game into dishonor. It appeared that Niemann was used as cannon fodder for a cheating problem that existed far too long. In the aftermath, there was a rash of cheating accusations lodged at multiple players with no apparent repercussions. FIDE appeared as an organization that was indecisive about how to handle the controversy.

It appears that Niemann’s amazing resiliency helped to fuel momentum. In the end, many people who doubted Niemann’s true strength have to admit they were wrong. Some have admitted being wrong while still having issues with his personality. It’s fine to be wrong, but not at the expense of someone’s career and life. This match today will most likely close the book on this saga. No matter who wins, the chess world will have had its cathartic moment. Perhaps it will mark a new beginning. Carlsen and Niemann will be a boon to chess and perhaps media organizations will have a final opportunity to correct the record.

Chess.com Speed Chess Championship

Hikaru Nakamura – Alireza Firouzja (10am EST, 4PM CET- Paris)
Magnus Carlsen – Hans Niemann (2:30 EST, 8:30PM CET)

Location

ESpot Paris
Paris, France

Dates & Times

September 6 – 16:00 (Local time) Semifinals
September 7 – 18:00 (Local time) Consolation
September 8 – 18:00 (Local time) Finals