Sex toy to win at chess? How Hans Niemann allegedly beat World No 1 Magnus Carlsen

Magnus Carlsen has accused Hans Niemann of cheating at chess.

American chess grandmaster Hans Niemann was scanned stringently, including his butt, at a championship after claims of him cheating in a match against world champion Magnus Carlsen using a sex toy sparked a major controversy.

Niemann was at the US Chess Championships in St Louis, Missouri, when he was scanned thoroughly, more so than the other participants, by security personnel using metal detectors.

19-year-old Niemann had beaten Norwegian Magnus Carlsen in a match at the Sinquefield Cup held in St. Louis last month raising eyebrows.

Allegations of a buzzing noise heard during the play fuelled rumours of Niemann cheating over-the-board using a sex toy concealed in his rectum. Newsweek reported quoting several sex toy manufacturers that their toys can actually be programmed, coded and even controlled remotely to win matches of chess. The vibrations, in codes, can give away critical moves in a game of chess, something that Niemann has been accused of.

Earlier, Niemann had admitted to cheating twice in his career at ages 12 and 16 but has now defended himself vehemently saying he is ready for any check and that he didn’t use a sex toy to win.

"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,” Huffpost reported Niemann as saying.

Carlsen’s tweets after his defeat to Niemann too had raised eyebrows.

A day after his loss, Carlsen tweeted: "I've withdrawn from the tournament.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

He followed it with a clip of former manager of Premier League soccer team Chelsea, Jose Mourinho, saying: "If I speak I will be in big trouble, big trouble and I don't want to be in big trouble,” that first got the chatter going.

I've withdrawn from the tournament. I've always enjoyed playing in the @STLChessClub, and hope to be back in the future https://t.co/YFSpl8er3u

— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) September 5, 2022

He also released a full statement on Twitter, this time no holds barred.

"I believe that Niemann has cheated more — and more recently — than he has publicly admitted. Throughout our game in the Sinquefield Cup I had the impression that he wasn't tense or even fully concentrating on the game in critical positions, while outplaying me as black in a way I think only a handful of players can do,” Carlsen tweeted.

My statement regarding the last few weeks. pic.twitter.com/KY34DbcjLo

— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) September 26, 2022

"Overall, we have found that Hans (Niemann) has likely cheated in more than 100 online chess games, including several prize money events," the world's leading online chess platform wrote in a detailed and comprehensive report released Tuesday.

The International Chess Federation also announced on September 29 that it was opening an investigation into the accusations.