Following his draw against Leinier Dominguez in the fifth round of the Sinquefield Cup, the beleaguered Hans Niemann came out with his version of events.
While the 19-year-old chess player confirmed that he had been banned from playing chess online at chess.com twice, he reiterated his innocence (following Niemann's win with black pieces against Magnus Carlsen in the third round, the World No 1 withdrew from the tournament, suggesting that there was some foul play involved in that match).
"I have never cheated in an over-the-board chess game," he told during the post-game interview organised by the tournament organisers. "That is the worst thing I could ever do, cheat in a tournament with prize money."
Speaking specifically about the game in question against Carlsen, he called the aftermath a 'targetted attack'. "After the game against Magnus, obviously Magnus puts his tweet, clearly some insinuations, and everybody starts to pile on. I open social media and I can't take my eyes off it, because every single person in the whole (chess) family has an opinion. I'm reading it, obviously, it was really disheartening seeing so many."
Following the allegations in round three, the organisers decided to delay transmission by 15 minutes, one of the most famous ways to prevent cheating. Organisers also stepped up Radio-frequency identification checks. For his part, during the end of the interview, Niemann even offered to play naked if that would help prove that he's clean.
"I can strip, you want to do any fair play check, I don't care. I know I'm clean. If they want me to strip naked, I will do it. You want me to play in a box with zero electronic transmission, name whatever you guys want." He also said that 'my absolute hero (referring to Carlsen) trying to ruin my career and reputation is disappointing'.
He was also intimate about being banned by chess.com. "I was 16, I don't want to make excuses, but I was living alone in New York City, it was the peak of the pandemic. I left my family and I was living alone at 16, I had rent to play, and I was willing to do anything to grow my stream."
He claimed that he made 'the ridiculous mistake' during an unrated game. Before that, he also admitted to having faced another ban when he was 12.
The Sinquefield Cup will continue on Thursday. After five rounds, Niemann leads by 0.5 points over compatriot Wesley So (3.5 and 3).