Hans Niemann, 19-yr-old American rising star won his US Championship game of chess after he was accused of cheating in more than 100 online chess matches.
Niemann after his championship victory said that it was “a message to everyone” while it was Chess.com who claimed it was “likely Hans Niemann cheated in more than 100 games online.”
Renowned Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen had previously blamed Niemann of cheating.
At a news conference following a convincing victory against the 15-yr-old Christopher Yoo, Niemann was asked about the question revolving around him for a while now. Niemann without addressing the accusations directly said, that this game is a message to everyone, this game spoke for itself and showed the chess player I am.
Niemann said, “It also showed I’m not going to back down and I’m going to play my best chess here regardless of the pressure.”
Until the interview, Niemann had not spoken publicly about the scandal since September 7, when he admitted to cheating in informal games, he was younger, but categorically denied doing so in competitive games.
Niemann went on to say that he was willing to play naked to prove his innocence, and that Carlsen and Chess.com were attempting to ruin his career.
The scandal began last month, when Carlsen, considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, was defeated by Niemann in a major upset at the Sinquefield Cup.
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