Check. Your move, Hans Niemann

Hans Moke Niemann, the 19-year-old chess grandmaster accused of cheating last month by world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, had a previously unknown pattern of cheating in more than 100 online games as recently as 2020, per an investigation conducted by Chess.com and reported on yesterday by the WSJ.

♟️ The plot thickens… Per Chess.com, the only reason they came forward was because of discrepancies in Niemann’s public story.

When he was first accused of cheating by Carlsen last month, the teenager strongly denied the allegations. Though he did ‘fess up to cheating on Chess.com twice in the past, describing the incidents as youthful mistakes made when he was 12 and 16 years old.

But that story isn’t exactly accurate, the company argues. Its 72-page report found Niemann “likely cheated” in a combined 100+ matches from 2015, 2017, and 2020 – including some with prize money on the line (*Vince Vaughn voice*).

• It also states Niemann privately confessed to the most-recent allegations in 2020, and was banned from Chess.com for an unspecified period of time.

😬 To be fair: The report noted Niemann historically hasn’t been associated with cheating at in-person chess, as Magnus Carlsen alleged, but said several of Niemann’s stronger placements “merit further investigation based on the data.”

👀 Looking ahead… Chess’ world governing body, FIDE, is conducting a separate ongoing investigation into the Niemann-Carlsen affair.

+Worth mentioning: Chess.com is in the process of buying Carlsen’s chess app, Play Magnus, in a deal valuing it at $82.5 million.