Whilst soon-to-be-dethroned global champion Magnus Carlsen has been spending the ultimate couple of weeks letting his hair down and making appearances at poker occasions to distract himself from the continued skirmish to search out the successor to his throne, the person who unearths himself in a court docket combat with the Norwegian made an look in Astana at a facet match of the International Championship.
Hans Niemann, the person who has sued Carlsen for $100 million for implying that he was once dishonest in tournaments, has entered within the Kazakhstan Chess Cup, an open event organised by way of FIDE as a facet match for the continued International Championship come across between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren.
At the same time as Niemann’s case towards Carlsen and Chess.com is within the court docket, the worldwide governing frame for chess, FIDE, by means of its Truthful Play Fee, introduced the formation of an Investigatory Panel, composed of Salomeja Zaksaite, Vinzent Geeraets, and Klaus Deventer, to research the case. The document isn’t out but.
But even so Niemann, there are round 180 women and men from 15 international locations taking part within the event, together with GMs like Denis Makhnev (from Kazakhstan), Alexander Rakhmanov, Tamir Nabaty (Israel), Timur Gareyev and Vitaly Sivuk (Ukraine). The prize fund is simply over $50,000.
Niemann’s look at a facet match of the International Championship was once positive to get spotted and the subject got here up on the press convention after the reasonably brief Sport 11 of the 2023 International Chess Championship on Monday.
Each gamers had been first requested in the event that they had been glad with FIDE’s anti-cheating measures and what they considered dishonest in video games performed over the board.
“One wouldn’t imagine that is conceivable. All of the measures are being taken rather critically. And also you additionally accept as true with your opponent, who you already know neatly. However talking of a few best gamers, you’ll by no means be certain that while you’re enjoying on-line,” stated Nepo.
Whilst he has been preserving his solutions brief on the press meetings in Astana, on Monday the Russian went directly to elaborate: “Over the board, I might hardly ever imagine (that it’s conceivable to cheat). There’s all the time somebody who will speculate about this stuff. There can be 0 likelihood to play unfair. The chance of being denounced is just too top for the highest gamers to try this,” stated Nepo.
His rival, Ding, added: “As we all know there are some dishonest circumstances taking place on-line, however over the board — particularly in tournaments like those I’ve performed in — I don’t imagine any dishonest took place.”
The gamers had been additional requested in the event that they had been conscious about Niemann being found in Astana for a facet match.
Nepo stated that he had noticed the gamers listing for the Kazakhstan Chess Cup and implied that he had noticed Niemann’s title within the open event in Astana. But if requested particularly if Niemann’s presence at a facet match of the International Championship had solid a shadow at the showpiece match, he stated: “Now not truly.”
Ding in the meantime stated he was once now not conscious about Niemann being in Astana.
Niemann’s title made international headlines in September ultimate 12 months after Carlsen withdrew from the Sinquefield Cup an afternoon after shedding to the American youngster, who was once enjoying with black items. Every week after that, the duo confronted off once more on the on-line Julius Baer Era Cup, the place the sector champion hand over a sport towards Niemann after making only one transfer.
Whilst Niemann has admitted to dishonest in on-line chess video games as a 12-and 16-year-old, he has denied dishonest in over the board video games.
Whilst Carlsen had to start with refused to spell out why he had behaved the way in which he did, he later posted a commentary claiming that “Niemann had cheated extra — and extra just lately — than he had publicly admitted.”
Carlsen went on so as to add: “His over the board development has been strange, and right through our sport within the Sinquefield Cup I had the impact that he wasn’t hectic and even totally concentrating at the sport in crucial positions, whilst outplaying me as black in some way I believe just a handful of gamers can do. This sport contributed to converting my standpoint.”
Chess.com later printed a 72-page document of its findings concerning the American GM most likely receiving unlawful help in additional than 100 on-line video games, and as just lately as 2020.