In years gone by, chess was seen as a stuffy, almost pretentious game. Reserved for maths boffins, it had little place in popular culture except as the butt of tired, overplayed jokes. However, the game has had a remarkable revival, and is now played by far more people than ever before.
There are a number of reasons for this. One is the development of technology. Chess can now be played on our phones from anywhere in the world, with the app and website Chess.com boasting over 93 million members. TV shows like Netflix’s Queen’s Gambit have also contributed towards the game’s recent popularity, while superstar grandmaster Magnus Carlsen has proved to be a revolutionary face for chess, elevating it from a boring gentleman’s game to an exciting, electric sport with a young, attractive player base.
It has embraced a happy medium between the video-game world of streaming and the one of legitimate elite sports. Fans discuss strategy, match ups. They head to sports betting sites and scour and assess the chess pages in much the same way horse racing fans use a forecast calculator or football fans check the odds of underdogs. Chess is a sport growing with the casuals and the devotees.
It is Chess’s superstar Carlsen, in fact, who is currently embroiled in a scandal that is threatening to shake chess to its core, as he dramatically accused opponent Hans Niemann of cheating. Let’s take a look at what happened in more detail and discuss whether it is set to cast a shadow over all of chess.
The Accusations
The drama started at the beginning of September when Norwegian Carlsen shocked the chess world by unexpectedly pulling out of the Sinquefield Cup.
Speculation as to why he pulled out was rife, with a cryptic Twitter post from Carlsen sending the rumour mill into overdrive. One rumor persisted above others, that Carlsen believed Niemann was cheating. This was supported by many chess streamers and commentators, who agreed that they thought Carlsen suspected cheating.
Carlsen pulled out soon after a shock defeat to Niemann, with the 19-year-old American expressing shock at the turn of events.
The Denial
However, Niemann shocked his supporters by admitting to cheating twice at online chess in the past, though he insisted his cheating days were behind him. In response to some of the more bizarre theories as to how he cheated in the Sinquefield Cup, Niemann vowed to play naked in the future to prove his innocence.
Carlsen and Niemann met again in the online Julius Baer Generation Cup later that month, where Carlsen resigned after playing just one move in their match. This reignited the furor and caused a divide in the chess world between supporters of both players.
The following week, Carlsen publicly accused Niemann of cheating, and went on to say he believed the American had cheated extensively in the past.
Niemann vehemently denied the accusations, explaining away his previous victory over Carlsen as a ‘ridiculous miracle’.
The Report
The latest development in the saga came from Chess.com, who released a damning report that revealed, after analysing his playing history, that they believe Niemann had cheated in over 100 games on the platform.
This sent shockwaves through the chess world and threw Niemann’s previous admission to cheating just twice into serious doubt. However, the American remains defiant, and has vowed to clear his name in the wake of these accusations.
Conclusion
This has been one of the biggest scandals in the history of chess and has threatened to bring a game often thought of as sophisticated and formal into serious disrepute. Whatever the outcome, this incident is sure to change attitudes to chess for years to come.
