World Chess Champion, Magnus Carlsen, has broken his silence.
Carlsen recently faced off with Hans Niemann at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis, Missouri.
The chess player extraordinaire released a lengthy statement to Twitter on Monday, September 26.
Carlsen addressed his recent withdraw from the tournament and his opponent.
“I resigned against Hans Niemann after playing only one move,” his official statement began.
“I believe that cheating in chess is a big deal and an existential threat to the game.”
Carlsen said Niemann was invited to the 2022 Sinquefield Cup last minute, and while he strongly considered withdrawing from the tournament, he ultimately decided to compete.
“I believe that Niemann has cheated more – and more recently - than he has publicly admitted,” Carlsen continued.
“So far I have only been able to speak with my actions, and those actions have stated clearly that I am not willing to play chess with Niemann. I hope that the truth on this matter comes out, whatever it may be,” he concluded.