Niemann - Carlsen

[Brad Thomson]

Forgive me if this is old news, but GM Tkachiev researched and reported on the ease with which cheating can occur:

A colleague would be following the game on a notebook outside the playing room and occasionally transmitting a key move to a tiny device hidden in Tkachiev's ear – one he says is very popular amongst certain students (i.e. those cheating in exams). A walk-through airport detector would not find it, and a hand-operated scanner would need to be set to high sensitivity and directly scan the ear.

ChessBase ran the articlein 2015: https://en.chessbase.com/post/tkachi...eater-in-chess

Maybe scanners are better these days, and maybe the devices are less detectable too. Reminds me of Spy vs Spy from MAD magazine in the 70s. Only less funny.

I guess we will have to play the games without any live broadcasting or spectators, and show them on the internet only later. This would prevent the sort of help that seems possible according to Hal's post. Nobody sees the games as they are played except the players and arbiters.

[Neil Frarey]

Again from Magnus Carlsen's comment ...

When Niemann was invited ast minute to the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, I strongly considered withdrawing prior to the event. I ultimately chose to play.
Magnus Carlson

Really? Seriously ... please stop!!!

Here's Carlsen just a couple of weeks before losing to Niemann at the Julius Baer Generation Cup beach partying with Niemann just after the pervious tournament FTX Crypto Cup in Miami ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK-a-N2Vg_4



Image source ... agadmator's YouTube Chess Channel

LOOL!!!



.

[Hugh Brodie]

He played in Toronto one year and got beaten badly by Samsonkin I think.

Toronto Open 2009. He got 4/5, behind two 5s and a 4.5, losing to Samsonkin.

In the 2012 Grand Pacific Open he got 6/6.

[Hans Jung]

Great find Neil!

[Frank Dixon]

This story is getting massive play on the non-chess media. The sites cbc.ca and cnn.com have coverage.

[J. Crowhurst]

People need to understand Fabi/Hikaru/etc. will not say certain things on interviews watched by thousands of people on YouTube, due to liability.

You'd think so, but Hikaru pretty openly accused him of cheating in the game, cheating to get his rating, "cheating" with his post-game analysis, and "cheating" on his accent.

The only thing he didn't come out and accuse him of was cheating online. He just gave us the "that's all I'm going to say". We should be so lucky,

[Brad Thomson]

This is a terrible situation, and sadly one that is typical of the chess world. Carlsen said he was thinking of not playing in Saint Louis to begin with due to the participation of a peson he believed to be a cheater. In the end Carlsen decided to play anyway, and then LOST (or did he throw that game too?) to the person he suspected. What could Carlsen have done if he had crushed the alleged cheater in that game? Withdraw because he thought the person he crushed was cheating? Not likely. The only way to withdraw to make his (suspect) point would be to lose and then accuse. I submit that Carlsen threw the game in Saint Louis (and then later threw the online game as well which proves that he IS capable of such a thing). The only way to credibly raise all of this stinking mess would have been for Carlsen to lose and then withdraw, or at least lose and then accuse and then continue. None of this would be plausible if he had beaten the alleged cheater, and Carlsen has admitted to some premeditation about not playing.

[J. Crowhurst]

Has anyone addressed the point that we have this incredibly interesting scandal arising from a game that's boring as dirt?

[Peter McKillop]

....... Carlsen said he was thinking of not playing in Saint Louis to begin with due to the participation of a peson he believed to be a cheater. .......

Uhhh.....perhaps you meant to say, a person Carlsen KNEW was a cheater? And by the cheater's own admission!! The only question: was he still cheating? And then earlier this month, Danny Rensch of Chess.com says, "We have shared detailed evidence with (Niemann) ... including information that contradicts his statements regarding the amount and seriousness of his cheating on Chess.com."

[Brad Thomson]

Uhhh.....perhaps you meant to say, a person Carlsen KNEW was a cheater? And by the cheater's own admission!! The only question: was he still cheating? And then earlier this month, Danny Rensch of Chess.com says, "We have shared detailed evidence with (Niemann) ... including information that contradicts his statements regarding the amount and seriousness of his cheating on Chess.com."

I should have said "over the board" cheater, yes.

[Brad Thomson]

Has anyone addressed the point that we have this incredibly interesting scandal arising from a game that's boring as dirt?

No doubt a huge number of parents who will not allow their beloved children to wallow in dirt as they develop.

[Brad Thomson]

I have been attacking Magnus and defending Niemann. But I will say that cheating is not acceptable, of course, and I do not understand why Niemann is allowed to play in online events given the fact that he has admitted to cheating online. Having thought about this a little more, I do not object to Magnus refusing to play Niemann online. Anyone can easily cheat online, however it is highly difficult to cheat over the board with the stringent protocols in place. The question is this- should an online cheater be barred from over the board play? Maybe. This does not change my opinion of the shoddy manner in which Magnus has handled this situation. At Saint Louis next week they should call in a doctor with one of those little lights and have him look deeply into Niemann's ears.

[Peter McKillop]

Has anyone addressed the point that we have this incredibly interesting scandal arising from a game that's boring as dirt?

If no one has addressed that point it's probably because chess is no different than almost every other human activity. There is a never ending flow of bad behaviour, scandals, and corruption. How about a world chess champ (Alekhine) collaborating with Nazi Germany, or a world champ (Botvinnik) eviscerating others with caustic criticisms behind their backs, or a world champ's (Fischer) decades of anti-Semitic raging, or a world champ (Kasparov) trying to make the world title his own possession, or 'toiletgate'? On a local level, how about a Canadian master walking into a tournament hall during play and shouting at his girl friend, "C*NT!!! LET'S GO." If the above examples are among the standards for outrageous behaviour in chess then Carlsen's attempt to stand up for the integrity of the game looks kind of mild in comparison.

[Tom O'Donnell]

Four behavioral analysts weigh in. It's two hours, but the general consensus was quite split.

Grandmaster or BIG LIAR? Hans Niemann Chess Cheating Scandal - Expert REACTION Video - YouTube

[J. Crowhurst]

...never mind....