Chess Pro Accused Of Cheating Defiant After Competing In Tourney With Extra Security

The St. Louis locale’s director spoke to the added security measures during the competition’s livestream, where the commentator interviewing him stated that Niemann deserved to be there.

“Obviously we want to ensure that our events are held with the highest integrity possible,” he said. “And we want to ensure fair play across all the tournaments. I want the players to feel, knowing that when they come to play in St. Louis, that we take it very seriously,” the director added.

Read More: Leading Chess Site Asked Top 100 Player Unmasked As Cheater To Confess (And They Did)

He noted that the championship has always employed metal detectors, but now they’ve added radio frequency scanners that are meant to capture any potential electronic signaling emanating from players. They now also check for silicon devices, which they claim scanners can pick up even if the device isn’t turned on. In addition to “physical scanning,” the director also said the competition has a cheating expert on deck watching events unfold, Ken Regan. And just to be extra safe, the tournament also instituted a 30-minute delay on the livestream, too.

When Niemann got scanned, security seemed slightly more intense than it did for the other players. Everyone got scanned from head to toe, but security seemed to linger for a few extra moments on parts of Niemann’s body, at one point turning him around. To me, it seemed as if they checked Niemann’s butt a little more closely than they did other competitors. I’m sure they weren’t checking for anal beads, the theorized method the internet jokes Niemann must be using to cheat. At least, I’m sure they weren’t checking for just that, or specifically that. We have contacted the St. Louis Chess Club, along with Niemann, about the additional security measures.

According to a local newspaper, viewers were allowed in the room at the start of the proceedings, but were quickly escorted out. The director notes that even media had to leave electronics outside, and they were all accompanied by chess club staff.

Niemann, it should be noted, won the first round against Grandmaster Christopher Yoo. Here’s Chess.com with the breakdown of how things went down:

The increasingly-popular Jobava London [system of chess play] was the weapon of choice for Yoo though things quickly turned around as the young GM was repelled through the center.

Despite the healthy advantage, Niemann found himself with seconds left on the clock and needed to make several precise moves to make it to the time control at move 40. On move 36, Yoo helped his opponent with the blunderous 36.e6??

Perhaps the most entertaining moment came after the showdown, when Niemann got interviewed about his match. He was defiant of any line of questioning.

“I think that this game is a message to everyone,” he said. “You know, this entire thing started with me saying ‘chess speaks for itself’ and I think this game spoke for itself and showed the chess player that I am and also showed that I am not going to back down and I’m going to play my best chess here regardless of the presure that I’m under. That’s all I want to say about this game. You know, chess speaks for itself, that’s all I can say. You can leave it to your own interpretation, but thank you.”

Stunned, the commentator asked if Niemann was sure about this.

“That’s all I’d like to say, yes. If it was such a beautiful game, I don’t need to describe it,” he answered.