Russian GM warns cheating will 'kill chess sooner or later', offers radical solution: ‘There should be a system of…’

Russian Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi has sounded alarm over cheating in chess, claiming that it will kill the sport "sooner or later", whether in its online or over-the-board form.

Nepomniachtchi, a two-time Candidates winner who is Russia's highest-ranked active chess player, also offered a bold take on players who have been caught cheating in the past and whether they should be allowed to return to the sport or not.

Nepomniachtchi urges chess to introduce 'system of reputation'

According to the 35-year-old, chess should adopt a "system of reputation". This system, 'Nepo' feels, will give not only discourage players from engaging in any such activity in the future, but will also give tournament organisers a better idea on the kind of individuals they'd want to avoid.

"I think there should be a system of reputation. And there are probably many cases of athletes caught doping and returning long afterward in one role or another. For example, as coaches, analysts, or something similar. But until you’ve served your sentence, you probably shouldn’t do that," Nepomniachtchi was quoted by RookReview as saying.

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"And the system of reputation itself works in such a way that even if you can formally participate in all this, the organizers may simply not want you there. And that makes a lot of sense.

"In chess, I think this is a very serious problem, because it will sooner or later kill the game. Especially online chess, but, unfortunately, also over-the-board chess. And the longer it goes on, the more obvious this problem becomes," the two-time Russian champion added.

Nepomniachtchi added that while doping boosts an athlete's performance in other sports, especially track and field, by "a mere 10 percent", he felt that the corresponding number for chess players using cheats stood at "100 per cent".

"What kind of ban should there be for cheating in chess? After all, while in traditional sports doping can contribute a mere 10% to a result, in chess, using cheats contributes 100%. And what sanctions should this entail?

"But overall, I think the reputational consequences should be no less serious than the formal and legal consequences," he added.

A dig at Niemann and the Sinquefield scandal? 

Nepomniachtchi's comment could be seen as a dig at American Grandmaster Hans Niemann – who had been involved in the biggest controversy in the history of the sport, having been accused of cheating at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup by none other than Magnus Carlsen.

Relations between Niemann and Nepomniachtchi have been frosty for the last couple of years. Niemann, after all, had reportedly accused the veteran Russian GM of blocking his entry into the 2024 Gashimov Memorial tournament in Azerbaijan, by echoing similar concerns from other players.

The two had recently played out an eight-game series in Belgrade, Serbia in the 'Fast Classical' format from 29 May to 1 June which ended in a 4-4 draw.

They had also faced each other at the UzChess Cup in Tashkent. Nepomniachtchi won their eighth-round meeting in 51 moves while playing with white pieces.

Besides Niemann, Ukrainian-Romanian GM Kirill Shevchenko and late Latvian International Master Isa Kasimi are some of the other players embroiled in high-profile cheating cases.