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Journalism of Courage
It’s been one of the biggest mysteries in chess: why did Hans Niemann pull out of the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour last month. Niemann playing in the event was supposed to be one of the biggest draws at Paris Freestyle, besides the presence of an Indian quartet of stars like world champion Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi. But just two days before the event was to start, Niemann pulled out without really offering a reason to the organisers. The American GM had only mentioned to Jan Henric Buettner’s team that he was dropping out for “personal reasons”.
In the aftermath, as the very-vocal Niemann went radio-silent even on his X handle, which is his preferred microphone, rumours swirled about the Paris Freetyle organisers implementing new anti-cheating measures and whether that led to the American GM withdrawing. Now in a lengthy post on X, Niemann has explained his reasoning for the pullout from Paris Freestyle Chess event. Well, almost!
“I withdrew from the tournament strictly for personal reasons that I prefer not to disclose publicly right now. What’s been particularly disappointing is witnessing how quickly some people jumped on this moment to perpetuate three years of baseless accusations against me. I genuinely wonder when they’ll finally accept reality,” Niemann wrote.
Niemann and Magnus Carlsen, the world’s greatest active chess player, have been at loggerheads ever since the infamous cheating allegations at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, which started when Niemann beat Carlsen in a game. Carlsen had withdrawn from the event a day later and there were a suggestion that thr withdrawal was linked to Carlsen believing that Niemann had cheated. No evidence has been been found to suggest that Niemann had cheated against Carlsen or anyone else in over the board events, even if he had owned up to cheating in online games when younger.
“Now that some of the dust has settled, I want to address my withdrawal from Paris. I didn’t immediately issue a public statement because, frankly, I was deeply frustrated by the organizers’ and TV2’s absurd speculation suggesting my decision was linked to what they dramatically called ‘new, advanced anti-cheating measures.’ The article falsely claimed that the last message I received referenced ‘enhanced measures’. To be absolutely clear—this is completely false. Unsurprisingly, the usual suspects within the chess mafia eagerly amplified this ridiculous narrative. At the time, I believed publicly responding would only legitimize accusations that have no basis in reality,” Niemann wrote.
Niemann had also played in a few games against Daniil Dubov and was supposed to take a polygraph test. He had backed out of that as well.
“A quick note regarding the polygraph: the initial test was canceled for logistical reasons, but after traveling, I have now arranged to complete it very soon. I am taking this polygraph solely because it was a condition of the match—not because I have anything to prove. Every single official chess organization has repeatedly affirmed that attempts to question my legitimacy as a player are malicious, baseless, and entirely absurd. The only thing left for me to prove is that I can become the World Chess Champion.
“Lastly, despite being wrongfully blacklisted by my own country and unfairly excluded from almost every major tournament, my passion and love for chess remain stronger than ever. I deeply regret not being able to compete in Paris and cherish every chance I get to play at the highest level. I look forward to letting my chess speak for itself, and I sincerely hope my relentless detractors can finally leave their misguided hatred behind,” he added.
