Magnus Carlsen breaks silence on Niemann cheating row in explosive Netflix revelation: 'He was not that good'

World No 1 chess player Magnus Carlsen has finally revealed unheard details about how and why he suspected American Grandmaster Hans Niemann of cheating in the Sinquefield Cup 2022, which later snowballed into a massive controversy.

The revelations were made during the new Netflix documentary Untold: Chess Mates, which covers the infamous cheating allegation that rocked the entire chess world and became the biggest talking point in the sporting world.

The allegations began after Carlsen lost to then 19-year-old Niemann in the third round of the Sinquefield Cup 2022. While Carlsen did not make any cheating claims openly, he dropped out of the tournament after his loss. In their next clash online, Carlsen resigned after just one move, confirming the rumours that he felt Niemann was cheating in games against him.

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Carlsen lifts lid on Niemann cheating saga

Meanwhile, during an interview between the Sinquefield Cup, Niemann admitted to cheating in online games in the past but denied cheating in the game against Carlsen or in any over-the-board game. Later in a statement, Carlsen said that Niemann had cheated in multiple games and more recently than he has admitted.

In Netflix’s Untold: Chess Mates, Carlsen has revealed that it was his defeat to Niemann at the FTX Crypto Cup in Miami before the Sinquefield Cup that first raised the cheating alarm for him.

Going into the Sinquefield Cup, Carlsen admitted that he had his doubts about Niemann and his game.

"I think if you are in a situation where you don't trust your opponent, you have a huge psychological disadvantage," Carlsen said in the documentary.

Carlsen also said that he decided to play an obscure line in his game against Niemann at Sinquefield Cup to surprise the youngster, but the response from his opponent left him dumbfounded and made him believe that something was wrong.

"It's a bit of a risky line, and he plays the exact best move," Carlsen said. "From the player that I had known, I thought he was not that good. And I did not like the situation at that point."

"It definitely felt that I was playing somebody who didn't appear to be putting a lot of effort into this game. It just seemed that, 'I am better than you, I am outplaying you. This is normal.' I am thinking, like, 'This is back to Miami again. This guy is just f****** with me at this point.'"

Carlsen added that during the match during Sinquefield Cup, he became convinced that Niemann had the "ability to cheat."

"I know that I was way in my own head. I recognized that then, and I recognize that now," Carlsen said. "That's the way it felt to me, both in Miami and also in the Sinquefield Cup. This was someone who had the ability to cheat. It was an unpleasant situation."

The ugly episode ended with Niemann filing a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Carlsen and others. It was later settled out of court in 2023.

For the unversed, no cheating allegations have been proven against Niemann in the game against Carlsen or any other over-the-board games.