During the Sinquefield Cup in September 2022, a controversy arose involving the chess grandmasters Magnus Carlsen, then world champion, and Hans Niemann.
Three weeks later, Carlsen released a statement saying that Niemann's behavior during their Sinquefield Cup game, taken together with earlier suspicions, had convinced him to withdraw from the tournament.
Many chess players and journalists commented on the issue, some supporting Carlsen's suspicions in one way or another, others criticizing him for his tournament withdrawal and for making allegations without producing evidence.
In October 2022, Niemann filed a lawsuit against Carlsen, his company Play Magnus Group, Chess.com, Chess.com's Chief Chess Officer Daniel Rensch, and the grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura for defamation and unlawful collusion.
[1] In August 2023, Chess.com announced that all parties involved in the lawsuit had settled; Chess.com reinstated Niemann on their platform and Carlsen promised to play against him should they be paired.
[2][3] That December, FIDE fined Carlsen 10,000 euros for his withdrawal from the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, but acquitted him of all charges related to his allegations against Niemann.
Over the previous three years, he had played a large number of games, and his Elo rating had risen swiftly, including a jump from 2500 to 2600 in only three months.
[10] In September, Carlsen participated as a wildcard in the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, an over-the-board tournament with classical time control and part of the Grand Chess Tour.
[10][12] Slate described the result as a "shocking upset" for Carlsen, ending his unbeaten streak to a player with a far lower rating, and in a game where he had the first-move advantage.
[17] This was the first time in Carlsen's career that he withdrew from a major event in progress, and the incident was considered "virtually unprecedented" in top-level chess.
[20][19] Another former world champion, Anatoly Karpov, added "Carlsen surprisingly played the opening so badly with white that he automatically got into a worse position.
"[21][22][23] On September 19, 2022, Carlsen was again scheduled to play Niemann in the Julius Baer Generation Cup, an online tournament hosted by chess24 that was part of the Champions Chess Tour.
"[26] On September 21, after the end of the preliminary rounds of the tournament, Carlsen answered a question from chess24's broadcast of why he forfeited: "Unfortunately, I cannot particularly speak on that, but people can draw their own conclusions, and they certainly have.
Carlsen stated that he wanted more focus on "fair play" in chess:It has always been a code of honor in the game at the top level that you trust each other.
In a statement to Vice, Dlugy criticized Carlsen for implying he was involved in the ongoing controversy, and asserted he would consider legal action against him.
"[39] In an interview on September 6, 2022, Niemann denied having cheated during the Sinquefield Cup and accused Carlsen, Nakamura, and Chess.com of attempting to ruin his career.
[36] PlayMagnus.com published an article in response with the list of "The Biggest Cheating Scandals in Chess" with an accompanying meme "How did you beat Magnus Carlsen?
[11] Later in the tournament, Chief Arbiter Chris Bird published a statement affirming that there was "no indication that any player has been playing unfairly" during the Sinquefield Cup.
[63] Two days after the game, French grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, a participant in the 2022 Sinquefield Cup and the reigning World Blitz Champion, expressed concern that the developing drama was becoming a "witch hunt".
Some who expressed their support for Carlsen were Nakamura, Romain Édouard, R. B. Ramesh, Srinath Narayanan, and Andrew Tang, who praised him for taking a principled stance and forcing a public discussion on cheating in chess.
Raymond Keene stated that Niemann could seek legal counsel, citing Nona Gaprindashvili's Netflix defamation case.
[31] On September 25, Rensch addressed rumors that the platform had shared their internal research, including a list of cheaters, with Carlsen prior to his withdrawal.
[91][92][93] Dvorkovich criticized Carlsen for his actions and mentioned the "moral responsibility attached to his status", claiming that "there were better ways to handle this situation."
Dvorkovich announced that FIDE would task its Fair Play commission to investigate the incident "when the adequate initial proof is provided".
[96][97][98][99] FIDE's Fair Play Commission (FPL) will form a panel out of three of its twelve members with the possibility to consult with external expert analysis.
[97] Klaus Deventer, an FPL member, stated that the investigation would examine whether there were enough facts to justify an allegation of cheating against Niemann, and whether Carlsen made a false accusation.
Carlsen was found not guilty on three charges of "reckless or manifestly unfounded accusation of chess cheating", "attempt to undermine honour", and "disparagement of FIDE's reputation and interest".
[102] On October 20, 2022, Niemann filed a federal lawsuit in Missouri against Carlsen, his company Play Magnus Group, Chess.com, Rensch, and Nakamura.
Tata Steel Chess Tournament ceased its ongoing arrangements for Niemann to play in its January 2023 event, and Vincent Keymer canceled an upcoming match with him in Germany.
[2][3] In a statement, Carlsen said he acknowledged and understood the Chess.com report made "no determinative evidence that Niemann cheated in his game against me at the Sinquefield Cup."