Chess World Speculates that Anal Beads Helped Novice Grandmaster in Unexpected Win

In reporting on how chess grandmaster Hans Niemann beat Magnus Carlsen, the world chess champion, in the Sinquefield Cup on Sept. 4, the New York Times did not mention the bizarre and salacious rumor circulating on the web as to how he did it. According to a report in the Daily Mail, the "19-year-old grandmaster used anal beads and artificial intelligence to beat the world's top player."

The Times reported that "(t)he next day, Mr. Carlsen withdrew from the tournament, which is an exceedingly rare move, especially among top players in elite events."

The tweet cryptically suggested that "Mr. Niemann cheated in some way during the game. A representative for Mr. Carlsen did not respond to multiple requests for comment."

The Times added: "Though many people accused Mr. Niemann of cheating, few of them offered any concrete evidence. Mr. Niemann did not respond to multiple requests for comment."

Niemann was subsequently "banned by massive online chess platform Chess.com," according to Vice. They wrote in their decision: "We have shared detailed evidence with him concerning our decision, including information that contradicts his statements regarding the amount and seriousness of his cheating on Chess.com."

But according to the Daily Mail, the rumors circulating on social media is "that San Francisco-born Hans Niemann, a relative newcomer to the sport, inserted wireless vibrating anal beads into his body before his victorious match..."

"Chess fans have speculated that an accomplice watching the match... used a chess program to determine the perfect move, and then sent encoded instructions via the vibrating sex toy," the Mail said.

Niemann responded to the rumors saying, "If they want me to strip fully naked, I will do it."

"I don't care. Because I know I am clean. You want me to play in a closed box with zero electronic transmission, I don't care. I'm here to win and that is my goal regardless," he said.

"It must be embarrassing for the world champion to lose to an idiot like me," Niemann said in an interview shortly afterward, according to Vice. "I feel bad for him."

He added in an interview with the Saint Louis Chess Club that all the backlash and unearthing of past dirt were motivated by self-interest and a sort of mob mentality. "I believe this is completely unfair," he said. "This is a targeted attack, and if you look at my games, this is not, it has nothing to do with my games. So why does the CEO of Chess.com come to me and say 'we're looking forward to having you at the Global Chess Championship, we're looking forward to you playing in our events,' and then right when I beat Magnus they decide to remove my account and not let me play in the tournaments?"

Vice added that Niemann admitted to cheating on Chess.com in the past, but claimed that the two times he did were involving trivial, non-over-the-board games, and that he was only a child as he was 12 and 16 when it happened.

"I just wanted to get higher-rated so I could play stronger players, so I cheated in random games on Chess.com," he said. "Now, I was confronted, I confessed, and this is the single biggest mistake of my life and I'm completely ashamed, and I'm telling the world because I do not want any misrepresentation and I do not want rumors. I have never cheated in an over-the-board game."

The Daily Mail wrote that "Niemann became a chess grandmaster in 2020. Thirteen people have become grandmasters under the age of 14, including India's Gukesh Dommaraju (12 years, 7 months, 17 days), Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov (12 years, 10 months, 5 days), and India's Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (12 years, 10 months, 13 days)."

"Niemann and Carlsen had faced off at the $500,000 Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis, Missouri on September 4 – but the up-and-coming chess champ only won the tournament because Carlsen withdrew from the upcoming fourth round," the Mail said.

Carlsen tweeted, "I've withdrawn from the tournament. I've always enjoyed playing in the @STLChessClub, and hope to be back in the future."

Carlsen also added a cryptic video of José Mourinho, the Portuguese soccer manager, saying, "I prefer really not to speak. If I speak, I am in big trouble."