Carlsen’s shock exit: – The reason seems clear

On Monday, Magnus Carlsen announced his withdrawal from the Sinquefield Cup. The decision came the day after 19-year-old Hans Niemann lost.

After the news broke, there was a lot of speculation as to why Carlsen would resign.

There aren’t many other possibilities here than that Magnus suspects Hans Niemann of cheating. Magnus had never withdrawn from a tournament in his career before, even when he was slightly ill, he continued, as Chess24 chess journalist Tarjei Svendsen explains for TV 2 and explains:

– I also don’t think that Magnus is a bad loser or something. He would never accuse someone without any proof of anything, and we don’t know exactly what’s behind this either. But the reason seems obvious.

Carlsen’s long chess loss to Neiman was his first since September 2021. The 19-year-old American has always been a promising, young player and one of America’s leading talents.

– In just the last two years, he has gained speed by traveling a lot and playing in Europe. He’s made great progress, and the big talk in the chess world is that he’s now suddenly at the top of the world, says Svendsen.

– Rumors about Niemann have been circulating for a long time

There was a lot of controversy after Carlsen’s hidden message regarding his exit from the tournament.

Carlsen wrote and attached a video of Jose Mourinho, in which the Portuguese replied in an interview, “If I say anything, I’m in big trouble.”

Arne Horvei at Magnus Carlsen Management told TV 2 that they did not want to comment on the case.

What makes the case so sensitive, as some have pointed out, is that if there is no evidence that Neiman cheated, there are heavy accusations.

– This is it. At the same time, if Magnus suspects he’s done something illegal, he’s understandably reacting in this way, Svendsen says.

Despite Carlsen’s withdrawal from the tournament, the Norwegian has not made any direct accusations against Neiman – and is unlikely to do so without concrete evidence either.

The burden of proof is clearly on Magnus. What does he have? Did he see anything? Is it just a suspicion or does he know something more specific? But Svendsen maintains that rumors about Neiman have been circulating for a long time.

Come to strange explanations after the victory

After the victory over Carlsen, questions were raised about Niemann’s poor analysis of his game and his somewhat outlandish interpretations of why he made the moves he did.

– Several people indicated that he did not make a particularly good impression in the analysis after that. He suggested a lot of weird moves and made himself a bit idiot there. But this proves nothing. It only adds to the reasons for doubt, Svendsen says.

There are those who have suggested that Niemann has been caught cheating at online chess in the past. Has it been verified?

– There is absolutely no one hundred percent verification, but chess sites have gradually developed very good methods for exactly that. As far as I know, Neiman also agreed to his ban. No doubt he was banned for cheating. At the same time, cheating online is something completely different from cheating in a regular public chess tournament.