ST. LOUIS — A casual chess match clicked along Monday, Sept. 12 outside the Saint Louis Chess Club. The friendly atmosphere was a far cry from the tense scene that unfolded this week in a quiet corner of the Central West End.
"First of all, I will say a champion has never withdrawn from a chess tournament before in the history of the game of chess," Saint Louis Chess Club Executive Director Tony Rich said. "So, it's really unprecedented."
Host of the Sinquefield Cup this month, St. Louis is now at the center of an outsized controversy.
When the world's top chess champion, Magnus Carlsen, withdrew from the tournament following a stunning loss to 19-year-old up-and-comer Hans Niemann, some accused the younger player of cheating. Among the theories was that Niemann used a vibrating prostate massager to play the right moves, speculation that seemingly elicited a tweet from Tesla founder Elon Musk.
Talking to the Chess Club, Niemann said the recent accusations are unfounded, copping to prior cheating as a young kid that resulted in discipline from the online outlet Chess.com.
"I have never cheated in an over-the-board game," he said. "That is the worst thing I could do: cheat in a tournament with prize money."
Niemann said the rumors tainted an otherwise spectacular victory.
"You know my dream came true. I lived my dream for a day beating Magnus, and then, all of this happened," he said.
Rich said tournament organizers increased anti-cheating strategies after the accusations, including a 15-minute delay to what had previously been a live stream online.
"They do say 'There is no such thing as bad publicity,' but what I would say is that it is much more important to me that the events are held at the highest standards and that we have insured fair play across the events," Rich said. "That is more important to me."
Rich said any event with Carlsen on the roster usually bumps viewership by about 50%. But following the controversy, their numbers were 200-300% higher than they might typically expect.
The attention also drew out fans like Nikki Serenity, who joined a group of friends with signs at the chess club Saturday to support Hans Niemann.
Rich says he expects the current buzz will carry over to next year's event, though Carlsen and Niemann are already scheduled to cross paths again. The two are both committed to the eight-day Julius Baer Generation Cup, which starts Sept. 18.
Niemann placed 7th out of ten players in the Sinquefield Cup, taking home at least $19,750.
Rich said Carlsen forfeited his $10,500 prize under the terms of tournament agreement.
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