The chess prodigy, who has been accused of cheating with vibrating anal beads, has declared: “I will not back down” after winning a US Championship game that required him to undergo a body scan before playing.
19-year-old Hans Niemann was accused of cheating by world chess champion Magnus Carlsen last month after the teenager managed to beat the Norwegian – who is widely regarded as the world’s top chess player – in a seemingly unfocused manner.
Then Chess.com published a lengthy report earlier this week claiming that Niemann “probably” cheated in more than 100 online games, including several cash tournaments – although there was no evidence that he played in over- cheating the board games (OTB), personal games.
Niemann previously stated he would play naked to prove doubters wrong after rumors suggested he may have used vibrating anal beads controlled by a third party to determine the best moves in his match against Carlsen .
But footage emerged yesterday showing the prodigy being restrained outside his US Championship game and forced to stand at attention as a security officer conducted a full-body scan with a hand-held detector.
Niemann’s scan took considerably longer than the other contestants, and the guard even turned him around to scan his butt – which made commentators laugh.
The 19-year-old, who didn’t seem happy with the scan, won his first-round match against a 15-year-old opponent before taking to the mic and lashing out at critics in a post-match interview.
“This game is a message to everyone. This whole thing started with me saying ‘chess speaks for itself’ and I think this game spoke for itself and showed what a chess player I am.
“It also showed that I won’t back down and will play my best chess despite the pressure here.”
The 19-year-old had to undergo a body scan along with other participants at the US championship
It comes after he was accused of cheating with vibrating anal beads
“This game is a message to everyone. This whole thing started with me saying ‘chess speaks for itself’ and I think this game spoke for itself and showed what a chess player I am. It also showed that I won’t give up,” said Niemann after winning a US championship game
A visibly frustrated Niemann quickly stopped the interview after the game, telling the interviewer, “You can leave it to your own interpretation, but thanks, that’s it.”
Norwegian chess player Magnus Carlsen, widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest, accused Niemann of cheating
An obviously frustrated Niemann quickly broke off the interview, telling the interviewer, “You can leave it to your own interpretation, but thanks, that’s it,” before walking out, much to the disbelief of commentators.
His post-game interview was the first time Niemann had publicly commented on cheating allegations since September 7.
He initially maintained his innocence amid speculation from Carlsen and the chess community that he had cheated in their game, admitting that he had already done so twice as a youngster but had learned from his mistakes and vowed not to do so again do.
There is no evidence that Niemann cheated in OTB games.
However, a comprehensive investigation of Neimann’s online play by Chess.com found he likely broke the rules in tournaments as late as 2020, noting “many notable signals and unusual patterns in Hans’ journey as a player,” according to a 72-page report became .
The document alleges that Niemann likely received assistance in more than 100 online games using illegal computer aids.
It also showed the prodigy privately confessing to Chess.com that he had cheated on numerous occasions, while also revealing that he was banned from the site – although this was never made public.
The report states that Niemann confessed to Chess.com COO Danny Rensch about his cheating during a Zoom call and then in writing during a Slack chat.
Many of the tournaments that Chess.com said Niemann cheated on included cash prizes, the report said, including Chess.com prize events, Speed Chess Championship Qualifiers and the PRO Chess League.
How much prize money Neimann has won in his short career is unclear.
Niemann defeated world chess champion Carlsen on September 4 in the prestigious Sinquefield Cup, the infamous tournament where the 19-year-old was accused of using vibrating anal beads to communicate with his coach.
Niemann vehemently denied Carlsen’s allegations, saying that he only cheated twice in his life – aged 12 and 16 – and that both offenses were among the biggest regrets of his life.
“Except when I was 12 years old, I never, never, never – and I would never do that, it’s the worst thing I could do – cheated in a tournament for prize money,” said Niemann afterwards.
“I’ve never cheated in streaming.”
“Remember, I was 16 years old, I never wanted to hurt anyone, these were random games. I would never do it in a real game – could only imagine it.”
The damning report comes after Niemann made headlines in September when chess champion Magnus Carlsen (pictured) claimed Niemann was a cheat, culminating in rumors the 19-year-old was using vibrating anal beads to communicate with his coach
Professional chess player Hans Niemann in a photo from his Instagram page
The Chess.com report appeared to slander Niemann’s denial, calling the September 4 game “suspicious” and adding “that Hans’s explanation of his victory after the tournament reinforced our suspicions”.
“As for his OTB game in general…we think [there] are obvious anomalies in Hans’ rise in the OTB rating.
“Remarkably, we discuss how Hans, much later in life than his peers, became the fastest rising top player in OTB classical chess in modern recorded history, and did so after we removed him from play on our website in 2020. “
However, it admitted that there is “no direct evidence that Hans cheated at the September 4, 2022 game with Magnus, or prove he cheated at any other OTB [over the board] Games in the past.’
Chess.com explained that they statistically analyzed Niemann’s games and compared his moves to those of a chess engine in the same position. A high correlation between the two strongly indicates fraud.
“Some, often newer, players use a chess engine like Stockfish to decide every move they make. This form of fraud is obvious and easy to spot,” the report said.
“Other players, particularly those playing at Hans level, are much more sophisticated and engage in ‘selective cheating’, using a chess engine to only offer advice at key moments, and often making deliberately sub-par moves to camouflage their engine use. ‘