Hans Niemann he has no intention of confessing nor of withdrawing. The 19-year-old American chess prodigy spoke in public last night for the first time after allegations raised by the Chess.com site of cheating in at least 100 online matches. He denied all charges and said that “chess speaks for itself” in this discipline.
Hans Moke Niemann, the chess prodigy cheated 100 times online, possibly “driven with a vibrator”
by Massimo Basile
And in fact, yesterday Niemann came out the winner from a match at a tournament in St. Louis. During the press conference immediately after he reiterated that he does not intend to withdraw, but on the accusations he cut short.
The rising star had already been accused of cheating by world champion Magnus Carlsen, who was defeated last month in a match that sparked much controversy. During the press conference last night Niemann said that his victory was “a message to all”, referring to the victory just before him against 15-year-old Christopher Yoo.
Niemann was then asked about the “elephant in the room”, referring to the scandal that erupted just yesterday when Chess.com raised suspicions against him. The young chess player replied that, “This game is a message to everyone. The whole 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”. He then added: “It has also shown that I will not back down and play my best chess here regardless of the pressure.” Niemann then broke off the meeting with the press after less than 60 seconds.