In a 72-page report made public on Tuesday, Chess.com states that GM Hans Niemann “has possible cheated in additional than 100 on-line chess video games, together with a number of prize cash occasions.” Chess.com additionally notes that Niemann is “the quickest rising high participant in classical OTB chess in fashionable historical past” however did not discover clear proof that Niemann cheated over-the-board.

It is known as the “Hans Niemann Report” (accessible right here) and runs 20 pages of textual content, or 72 pages in whole together with appendices and reveals. In it, Chess.com and its Fair Play Team give solutions to questions reminiscent of why Niemann was faraway from the Global Chess Championship, to what extent he cheated on the location, and what could be mentioned about his over-the-board (OTB) play.

First, Chess.com explains its resolution to take away Niemann from Chess.com and from the Global Chess Championship on September 5, the day after he beat GM Magnus Carlsen on the Sinquefield Cup. After making clear that there was no communication concerned between Chess.com and Carlsen, the choice was laid out as follows:

We primarily based this resolution on a number of elements. First, as detailed on this report, Hans admitted to dishonest in chess video games on our website as just lately as 2020 after our cheating-detection software program and crew uncovered suspicious play. Second, we had suspicions about Hans’ play in opposition to Magnus on the Sinquefield Cup, which had been intensified by the general public fallout from the occasion. Third, we had issues in regards to the steep, inconsistent rise in Hans’ rank—set out in Section VII of this report—like others within the broader chess group. Finally, we confronted a essential resolution level at an unlucky time: Could we make sure the integrity of the CGC, which was scheduled to start out a couple of days after the Sinquefield Cup on September 14th, 2022, for all members, if Hans took half in that occasion? After in depth deliberation, we believed the reply was no. The CGC has 64 members and a $1 million prize. Under the circumstances, and primarily based on the data we had on the time, we didn’t consider we might confidently guarantee the members and high gamers {that a} participant who has confessed to dishonest previously, and who has had a meteoric rise coupled with rising suspicions in the neighborhood about his OTB efficiency, wouldn’t probably undermine the integrity of our occasion.

Fans would possibly marvel why Chess.com selected to disclose a lot about Niemann and their communication, and never about different gamers. That was due to the interview Niemann gave, a couple of days after beating Carlsen in St. Louis, says Chess.com:

“It have to be emphasised that we by no means meant our issues about Hans’ truthful play violations to be a public dialog. It has at all times been our common strategy to deal with account closures for titled gamers privately, as we now have accomplished for Hans previously. Indeed, his current removing from Chess.com and the CGC was additionally communicated privately. He selected to make these communications public. As a outcome, we really feel compelled to share the premise for our choices publicly with the group.”

An essential cause for bringing this report was what Chess.com already tweeted on September 9: that there was data that contradicted his statements relating to “the quantity and seriousness of his dishonest on Chess.com.” The website now goes into rather more element, saying that he

…seems to have cheated in opposition to a number of opponents in Chess.com prize occasions (past the Titled Tuesday occasion that Hans admitted to having cheated in when he was 12), Speed Chess Championship Qualifiers, and the PRO Chess League. We even have proof that he seems to have cheated in units of rated video games on Chess.com in opposition to highly-rated, well-known figures within the chess group, a few of which he streamed on-line. 

According to Chess.com, Niemann has possible cheated in additional than 100 on-line chess video games, together with in a number of prize cash occasions, and together with video games that he was streaming. Below is a desk that reveals the info, displaying that it entails the interval July 2015-August 2020.

Ken Regan, an unbiased professional within the subject of cheat detection in chess, agreed with Chess.com right here and likewise thinks Niemann cheated in these video games.

While Chess.com admits that its instruments to detect dishonest are particularly meant for on on-line chess with sooner time controls, they do make a couple of feedback about Niemann’s OTB play, stating that “his outcomes are statistically extraordinary.”

For starters, they word that Niemann is “the quickest rising high participant in classical OTB chess in fashionable historical past.” Compared to different rising stars of his technology reminiscent of GMs Alireza Firouzja, Vincent Keymer, and Arjun Erigaisi (but additionally GM Bobby Fischer), Niemann is persistently above a lot of them in energy will increase, though he has solely just lately proven the identical caliber of play. Also, Niemann “had the quickest and largest enhance in his rating over time compared to his friends and different notable gamers, when contemplating all of their recognized classical OTB video games performed from age 11-19.”

Chess.com notes that, of the 13 gamers youthful than 25 years previous and at the moment ranked on the earth’s high 50, Niemann is the one one to turn into a GM as late as 17.

As an energetic FIDE-rated participant at ages 15, 16, and 17 (pre-pandemic years), Hans had scores of 2313, 2460, and 2465, respectively. The typical knowledge is that if you’re not a GM by age 14, it’s unlikely which you could attain the highest ranges of chess. While that assertion could seem discouraging, it has been borne out in fashionable chess. Greats like Fischer, Kasparov, Carlsen, and virtually the entire fashionable GMs who’ve been established as high 5 gamers, had been notable GMs by age 15 on the newest.

Chess.com additionally analyzed a pattern of Niemann’s current OTB video games however could not discover concrete proof proving that he cheated, together with in his recreation with Carlsen on the Sinquefield Cup—though Chess.com does word that “this recreation and the encompassing behaviors and explanations are weird.”

In its conclusion, Chess.com notes that they’ve shared their findings with FIDE and “will cooperate with any investigation or requests they pursue.” A number of days in the past, FIDE introduced plans to type an investigatory panel on the matter.

GM David Smerdon, a behavioral economist on the University of Queensland, commented on Twitter:

The report is nice. It didn’t should be that lengthy for the HN [Hans Niemann] case, however then again it’s nice that CC [Chess.com] has publicly laid out extra particulars about its cheat detection system, the human course of behind detection/banning insurance policies, and their broader philosophy in the direction of dishonest.

Unfortunately, the outcomes of CC’s evaluation are usually not what the chess world wished to listen to (not CC’s fault) as a result of it means we’re unlikely to ever get a decision on whether or not HN cheated OTB. Super quick abstract: 
1.  HN cheated rather more on-line than we knew, together with as much as age 17 and in $ occasions
2.  No proof of Sinquefield Cup dishonest
3.  Weak proof that HN’s OTB rise is suspicious, however nothing concrete relating to dishonest.

Unfortunately, the CC report shifts the chance that HN cheated OTB in the direction of 50%, regardless of which facet you began on (FWIW, I and others had prior beliefs round 10-20%, whereas excessive different finish embrace others with >80%).

Going ahead, what new data might convey in regards to the unlikely occasion of a decision? I see two potentialities:

1. Hans confesses OR concrete bodily proof of OTB dishonest revealed
2. Hans continues his OTB trajectory in the direction of 2750+ in occasions with super-strict anti-cheating requirements.

Given that each 1 and a pair of are unlikely, we most likely received’t get a decision. HN will proceed to play underneath a cloud, Magnus is not going to really feel vindicated, and organisers are confronted with an invitational dilemma. Not an excellent end result for chess, however then again, excellent that the problem of dishonest is within the highlight and main chess orgs appear able to work collectively to make things better.🤷‍♂️ 

The report is nice. It didn’t should be that lengthy for the HN case, however then again it’s nice that CC has publicly laid out extra particulars about its cheat detection system, the human course of behind detection/banning insurance policies, and their broader philosophy in the direction of dishonest. 1/

— David Smerdon (@dsmerdon) October 5, 2022

Chessdotcom’s report is advertising.

1. It’s 20 pages, not 72.

2. No proof of OTB dishonest in any respect, and their try and whip it up is embarrassing.

3. It challenges Hans’s model of prior dishonest, however largely w’ on-line blitz video games in 2020, and cheap doubt.#chessdrama https://t.co/Ehc3vuM0Iu

— Jonathan Rowson (@Jonathan_Rowson) October 5, 2022

Highly unlikely that there could be concrete proof for OTB dishonest however I will surely really feel very uncomfortable taking part in somebody in an OTB event realizing these numbers

— Kevin Goh Wei Ming (@kevingohwm) October 5, 2022