‘I’m not going to back down’: chess cheat storm teen speaks out

THE teenage grandmaster at the centre of the chess world’s cheating storm today broke his silence and said he is “not going to back down”.

Hans Niemann is under pressure after an investigation claimed it was “likely” he cheated in more than 100 games online. The 19-year-old American rising star had already been accused of cheating by world champion Magnus Carlsen.

However, after winning in the opening round of the US Chess Championship, Niemann addressed the controversy.

Asked about “the elephant in the room”, he replied: “This game is a mesage to everyone. This entire thing started with me saying chess speaks for itself. I think this game spoke for itself and showed the chess player I am.

“I’m not going to back down, I’m going to play my best chess here despite the pressure I’m under.”

Then Niemann refused to discuss any questions about the match and began to take his microphone off, ending the interview.

Niemann has admitted cheating in two online games many years ago but insists he has never cheated in a faceto-face game, despite Carlsen’s claims.

But Chess.com’s investigation this week said it was “likely” the teenager acted outside of the rules “much more often” during online games than he had previously admitted to.

It found Niemann may have cheated as recently as 2020 and won prize money during a fraudulent game.

However, there was no evidence in their 72-page report that he cheated while playing in person or in any game against Carlsen.