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Hans Niemann, a chess grandmaster, has denied using anal beads to win a match against the world’s foremost player.
Niemann, 20, categorically denied allegations that he used a vibrating sex toy to receive outside instructions against Magnus Carlsen in a game that caused scandal in the chess world.
Hans Niemann has again denied using anal beads to beat Magnus Carlsen.Credit:
Carlsen, considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, had accused the American chess player of cheating, leading to a legal row that the pair resolved out of court.
“It is very disheartening to be accused of cheating after that victory,” Niemann told Piers Morgan Uncensored in a new interview.
When asked specifically about the allegation that he used anal beads to cheat, a rumour that had surfaced online after his victory, the 20-year-old replied: “Well, your curiosity is a bit concerning, you know, maybe you’re personally interested. But I can tell you, no. Categorically, no, of course not.”
In the past, Niemann has said of the claims: “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.”
The chess rising star said the incident taught him a lot of very important life lessons “about life and chess”.
The scandal stemmed from his upset victory over Carlsen, who has been the world’s top-ranked player for over a decade, at the prestigious Sinquefield Cup tournament in St Louis, Missouri, in September 2022.
Following his defeat Carlsen, 32, withdrew from the tournament and later claimed Niemann had cheated, which the American denied. Chess.com banned Niemann and later published a report saying he had likely cheated more than 100 times in online games.
Magnus Carlsen (left) lost with the white pieces to Hans Niemann in the third round of the Sinquefield Cup in St Louis.Credit: Saint Louis Chess Club
The 20-year-old then filed a $US100 million ($156 million) defamation lawsuit against Carlsen, Chess.com and US grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura last October after being accused of cheating.
A US judge dismissed the lawsuit in June and Chess.com said all parties had agreed to move forward without any further litigation.
Niemann has admitted to cheating online when he was 12 and 16 years old, but denied any wrongdoing while contesting over-the-board games.
Chess.com said it stood by its original report, which included details of digital cheating, but found “no determinative evidence that he has cheated in any in-person games”.
Chess.com added that Niemann’s account has been reinstated and he is welcome to play at future events.
“I look forward to competing against Magnus in chess rather than in court,” Niemann said at the time.
The Telegraph, London
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