Teenage Chess Grandmaster Accused of Cheating in Over 100 Games

A newly published report has rocked the global chess community.

According to an investigation conducted by Chess.com, 19-year-old Hans Niemann has been accused of cheating in more than 100 online chess games as recently as 2020. The site says it used a number of cheating-detection tools that found “many remarkable signals and unusual patterns in Hans’ path as a player.” One of the tools included analytics that compare a competitor’s move to those generated by chess engines—computer programs that evaluate the game and recommend the best move options.

Chess.com reports Niemann appeared to perform better after toggling to another screen, suggesting he was using a chess engine to generate his moves. Niemann admitted to cheating at least two times before: once he was 12 and another when he was 16. The teen addressed the incidents during an interview with the Saint Louis Chess Club last month, insisting it was “an absolutely ridiculous mistake.” He went on to say he has never cheated in any match that involved prize money, and only cheated in an effort to compete against high-caliber players.

“I’ve never ever in my life cheated in an over-the-board game,” he said. “… I’m admitting this and and I’m saying my truth because I do not want any misrepresentation. I am proud of myself that I learned from that mistake, and now have given everything to chess I have sacrificed everything for chess and I do everything I can to improve.”

Chess.com notes its investigation failed to yield “concrete statistical evidence” that Niemann in any “over-the-board” games.

The cheating scandal was fueled last month after Niemann defeated world champion Magnus Carlsen at the Sinquefield Cup. Carlsen withdrew from the tournament the next day and suggested his opponent had cheated. He addressed his decision in a statement shared on Twitter last week.

“I believe that cheating in chess is a big deal and an existential threat to the game,” Carlsen wrote. “I also believe that chess organizers and all those who care about the sanctity of the game we love should seriously consider increasing security measures and methods of cheat detection for over-the-board chess.”

Niemann is participating in the U.S. Chess Championships that kicked off Wednesday. The in-person tournament will find the teen and 13 others vying for up to $250,000 in prize money. Chess expert Ken Regan, a professor of computer science and engineering at the University at Buffalo, told NPR that Niemann is still in good standing with tournament organizers, including the International Chess Federation.

“Cross-jurisdiction matters between online chess and in-person chess have not been resolved,” Regan explained, before addressing Chess.com’s cheating-detection tools. “In general I have no quarrel with their methods; mine may be sharper in the vein where we overlap.”

Chess.com has since called for further investigation of the matter.