| − | The '''chess cheating scandal''' of 2022 concerned a highly unlikely ostensible victory on September 4 by a 19-year-old relatively low-ranked player named Hans Niemann, playing with the weaker black pieces, against the greatest player of our time, [[Magnus Carlsen]], while Carlsen was on an unbeaten streak. This was the second improbable defeat by Niemann with the black pieces against Carlsen in merely a few months, and the second consecutive improbable win by Niemann against a higher-ranked player in the tournament. Carslen then quit the [[chess]] tournament (the Sinquefield Cup 2022), which is nearly unprecedented, and some infer his comment afterwards to mean that he felt he had been cheated. Niemann denied that he cheated. | + | The '''chess cheating scandal''' of 2022 concerned a highly unlikely ostensible victory on September 4 by a 19-year-old relatively low-ranked player named Hans Niemann, playing with the weaker black pieces, against the greatest player of our time, [[Magnus Carlsen]], while Carlsen was on an unbeaten streak. This was the second improbable defeat by Niemann with the black pieces against Carlsen in merely a few months, and the second consecutive improbable win by Niemann against a higher-ranked player in the tournament. Carlsen then quit the [[chess]] tournament (the Sinquefield Cup 2022), which is nearly unprecedented, and some infer his comment afterwards to mean that he felt he had been cheated. Niemann denied that he cheated. |
| − | The odds of a player of Niemann's lower rank defeating the high-ranking Carlsen twice with the black pieces is estimated to be only 1 in 2,500. | + | The odds of a player of Niemann's lower rank defeating the high-ranking Carlsen twice with the black pieces is estimated to be only 1 in 2,500. In addition, in the game at the Sinquefield Cup prior to his reported victory over Carlsen, Niemann was far behind on time but made a string of perfect moves to improbably defeat the #14 player in the world, [[Shakhriyar Mamedyarov]]. After tighter security measures were installed at the tournament once Carlsen left in protest, Niemann was unable to win another game. |
| | Amid the controversy, women looking and dressed like casino workers oddly showed up at the [[Saint Louis Chess Club]], where the tournament was held, in order to stand foolishly against [[Magnus Carlsen]]. | | Amid the controversy, women looking and dressed like casino workers oddly showed up at the [[Saint Louis Chess Club]], where the tournament was held, in order to stand foolishly against [[Magnus Carlsen]]. |