Magnus Carlsen Releases Statement, Insists Hans Niemann Cheated

The chess world has been abuzz over a cheating scandal that has seen one of the game's top players refusing to play. Now Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen has released a statement detailing his side of the cheating scandal that also involves American Hans Niemann.

The whole thing started after Niemann defeated Carlsen, snapping the Norwegians' 53-game unbeaten streak in the process.

However, accusations soon followed that Niemann had cheated, with some even floating the idea that he had used electronic anal beads to do it.

Yeah. Chess is wild these days.

Even stranger is that Niemann admitted to having cheated in the past, but insisted that he doesn't anymore and hadn't cheated against Carlsen.

Still, when the pair were set to have a rematch, Carlsen made one move and quit.

Now, he's speaking out about the situation.

Carlsen Gives His Side Of The Story

Carlsen decided to release a written statement through his Twitter account.

"I know that my actions have frustrated many in the chess community. I'm frustrated," Carlsen wrote "I want to play chess. I want to continue to play chess at the highest level in the best events."

Carlsen argued that chess officials need to step up their anti-cheating measures. He also discussed mulling over the possibility of not participating in a tournament because Niemann had also entered.

"I believe that Niemann has cheated more - and more recently - than he has publicly admitted," Carlsen said. "His over the board progress has been unusual, and throughout our game in the Sinquefield Cup I had the impression that he wasn't tense or even fully concentrating on the game in critical positions, while outplaying me as black in a way I think only a handful of players can do. This game contributed to changing my perspective."

Carlsen closed by saying that he can only discuss his side of the story. However, he seemed to indicate that he knows more but needs permission from Nieman to fully discuss it.

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Matt is a University of Central Florida graduate and a long-suffering Philadelphia Flyers fan living in Orlando, Florida. He can usually be heard playing guitar, shoe-horning obscure quotes from The Simpsons into conversations, or giving dissertations to captive audiences on why Iron Maiden is the greatest band of all time.