Pique or cheat?

In the third round of the Sinquefield Cup in St Louis, Magnus Carlsen was beaten by 19-year old Hans Niemann, the lowest seeded player in the event. The result was surprising, particularly since Niemann played Black, but certainly not inconceivable. The next day, Carlsen announced his withdrawal from the tournament on Twitter, appending a short clip of José Mourinho saying: ‘If I speak I am in big trouble.’ It was widely taken to mean that Carlsen suspected foul play, but was wary of making a direct accusation.

So far, he has made no further statement, leaving pundits to fill in the gaps. But the patchwork of evidence remains threadbare. In the past couple of years Niemann’s surge up the world rankings has been noteworthy, but his progress remains in line with other ambitious and talented teenagers. The game itself (see below) presented no obvious clues, since Niemann’s play was not faultless, while Carlsen’s play looks uncharacteristically poor.