On Wednesday evening, Magnus Carlsen spoke for the first time about the conflict with American Hans Niemann.
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– I understand very well that the current situation is unfortunate for many, says Carlsen to TV 2 on Wednesday evening.
Both Hans Niemann and Magnus Carlsen are through to the quarter-finals of the Julius Baer Generation Cup. Now the duo can meet again – but first in a final.
On Monday, Carlsen resigned in a highly controversial manner after making only one move against Niemann. Now the duo can meet again for the third time in a short time.
– Are you going to play (in a possible final) against Niemann, Carlsen was asked during TV 2’s chess broadcast.
– Time will tell, then. I’ll get there first, he replied with a smile.
– Do you think that Niemann is a cheater? asks TV 2’s Jon Ludvig Hammer.
– I will make my statement after the tournament, on Monday or early next week. I would like to say more now about different things. I’ll have to wait a bit, replies Carlsen.
He also spoke to Chess24.com on Wednesday evening.
– Unfortunately, I can’t talk about exactly that, but people can draw their own conclusions, and they definitely have. I must say that I am very impressed by Niemann’s game and I think his mentor, Maxim Dlugy, must have done a very good job, says Carlsen in a subtle way.
– On a general basis, I believe that cheaters in the future should not be taken lightly – either online or over the board, continues Carlsen.
The eight best of the 16 players taking part in the tournament advance to Thursday’s quarter-finals. Two of the eight are both Carlsen and Niemann. Magnus Carlsen got the highest score (34) of all and won the preliminary rounds with a distance of nine points to second-placed Arjun Erigasi. Niemann was third with 24 points.
Carlsen will meet Levon Aronian in the quarter-finals, while Niemann will face Quang Liem Le.
The quarter-finals start at 18.00 on Thursday and are broadcast on TV 2 Sport 2.
The reason why Carlsen gave the victory to Niemann on Monday is that the Norwegian recently withdrew from the major tournament Sinquefield Cup in the USA after losing to Niemann. Afterwards, heated rumors circulated that the reason was cheating on the part of the American, which Niemann firmly rejected. However, Niemann has admitted to cheating in online matches when he was younger.
https://twitter.com/chess24com/status/1572613460806057986 the International Chess Federation (FIDE) will make a statement about Carlsen and Niemann within the coming days.
There were no fewer conspiracy theories in the chess world after they met again on Monday.
– It is completely unacceptable behavior to lose on purpose. It is the most unsporting thing in the world of competition, said Jon Ludvig Hammer on TV 2’s broadcast on Monday.
