Ever since the 19-year-old American grandmaster Hans Niemann defeated Magnus Carlsen , who consequently withdrew from the Sinquefield Cup 2022 (see the timetable of events related to the Carlsen – Niemann case below), the topic of cheating in chess is the top news in mass medias . Norwegian VG earlier reported on different cases of cheating in online chess (Read more : Former president of Swedish Chess Federation admits to losing 43 games on purpose ), publishing today a controversial case from the major OTB tournament – Croatian National Team Chess Championship 2022.
As VG reports, the Norwegian grandmaster and a member of the Norwegian National Chess Team, Johan-Sebastian Christiansen, witnessed the match-fixing situation at the Croatian Team Chess Championship (League 1A) . Christiansen was playing the third board for GSK SOLIN-CEMEX Solin and his team needed a draw in the last round to secure the title of the National Champion. Christiansen told for VG that the last round match was fixed the night before the start of the final round, as the teams’ captains agreed to a draw: “At the team meeting we sat there, we had to wait for the negotiations with the other team to be finished. They came in and said yes, it will be 3-3 “. Christiansen says he refused to finish his game with a quick draw, thus he wasn’t in the team composition for the last-round match. The match between GSK SOLIN-CEMEX and SK STRIDON Strigova finished after only 10 minutes of play, as all the six boards signed a draw after playing 10 (or fewer) moves.
As expected, GSK Solin-Cemex Solin won the event with 15 match points with GM Alexander Donchenko (Board 1), IM Leon Livaic (Board 2), GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen (Board 3), GM Sasa Martinovic (Board 4), GM Davor Rogic (Board 5), GM Bojan Kurajica (Board 6), GM Ognjen Cvitan (reserve player) and IM Ivica Armanda (reserve player) in the roaster. Liburnija Rijeka and Zagreb tied for second place with 13 match points (each). Scroll down for final rankings of the event
It is interesting that three (out of five) last-round matches finished in the same fashion. SK Petar Sedlar Pepe drew to SK Pula and SK Sesvete Agroproteinka drew to SK Ferit-Osijek as the players agreed for draws on all boards after playing a few moves. Replay the games below
Croatian National Team Chess Championship 2022 (League 1A) – Final rankings:
Rk
Team
TB1
TB2
TB3
TB4
1
GŠK SOLIN-CEMEX, Solin
15
35
194
905
2
ŠK LIBURNIJA, Rijeka
13
31
162
804
3
ŠK ZAGREB, Zagreb
13
31
170
804
4
ŠK MORNAR, Split
12
29
151
760
5
ŠK PETAR SEDLAR PEPE, Kaštel Novi
10
29
122
743
6
ŠK FERIT-OSIJEK, Osijek
8
26
93
662
7
ŠK SESVETE-AGROPROTEINKA, Sesvete
7
24
83.3
626
8
ŠK PULA, Pula
6
23
79.8
620
9
ŠK STRIDON, Štrigova
4
23
52.3
624
10
ŠŠK KONAKI-KŽM, Novo Virje
2
21
23
560
. The Croatian National Team Chess Championship 2022 took place from September 24 – October 2 in Pula with the participation of 10 teams. The event was played in 9 rounds, round-robin system, with time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves + 30 minutes for the end of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per each move, starting from the move one.
SK Ferit-Osijek vs GSK Solin-Cemex, Round 1 of the Croatian National Team Chess Championship 2022 (League 1A); Photo from chess-results
The timetable of events related to the Carlsen – Niemann case:
Date
News
5-Sep
BREAKING: Magnus Carlsen withdraws from the Sinquefield Cup 2022
5-Sep
Possible reasons of Magnus Carlsen’s withdrawal from the Sinquefield Cup 2022
5-Sep
Hans Niemann was thoroughly checked before the fourth round of the Sinquefield Cup (VIDEO)
5-Sep
Sinquefield Cup’s players and organizers react to Carlsen’s withdrawal from the tournament
5-Sep
Hans Niemann R4 post-game interview: At least I got to beat Magnus Carlsen before he left
6-Sep
Sinquefield Cup 2022 improves anti-cheating measures after Carlsen’s withdrawal
6-Sep
Fabiano Caruana: Can’t wait to hear more about the Hans effect on The Magnus Effect
6-Sep
Reactions to Magnus Carlsen’s withdrawal from the Sinquefield Cup 2022
6-Sep
Niemann’s emotional confession R5 post-game interview: I cheated in random games on chess.com and this was the biggest mistake in my life
7-Sep
Reactions to Hans Niemann’s interview
7-Sep
Hans Niemann: I’d like to see what Nakamura has to say now
8-Sep
Hans Niemann R6 post-game interview: The silence of my critics speaks for itself
8-Sep
Elon Musk comments on accusations towards Hans Niemann
8-Sep
Garry Kasparov about Carlsen’s withdrawal: It’s an act with no precedent in the past 50 years
9-Sep
Chess.com explains its decision to remove Hans Niemann from the platform in the official statement
9-Sep
Daniel Rensch about chess.com’s statement: This tweet speaks for itself
9-Sep
Hikaru Nakamura reacts to Hans Niemann’s interview
9-Sep
Susan Polgar about Niemann – Carlsen case: The professional reputation of many parties is at stake
9-Sep
Garry Kasparov: Unless the chess world is to be dragged down into endless pathetic rumors, clear statements must be made
9-Sep
Niemann keeps analyzing his game with MVL while getting checked with the anti-cheating device (VIDEO)
9-Sep
Hans Niemann R7 post-game interview: It is absolutely ridiculous to play chess under these conditions
10-Sep
Hikaru Nakamura and Daniel Naroditsky speak about cheating in chess
10-Sep
Hans Niemann’s fans gather in front of the Saint Louis Chess Club
10-Sep
Sinquefield Cup Chief Arbiter’s statement: We have no indication that any player has been playing unfairly in the Sinquefield Cup 2022
11-Sep
New allegations within Niemann – Carlsen case: Hans Niemann performs much better with live DGT boards
11-Sep
Nigel Davies, “If Carlsen does not speak soon, the FIDE Ethics Commission should act”
11-Sep
Alexander Grischuk about Niemann – Carlsen case: Magnus freaked out for a reason
11-Sep
Richard Rapport suggests a polygraph test to manage cheating in chess and protect players who are falsely accused
11-Sep
Alexei Shirov: Hans Niemann’s last GM norm looks suspicious
12-Sep
Hans Niemann after the end of the Sinquefield Cup 2022: It was a lot to handle and I wasn’t able to manage my nerves
13-Sep
S.L. Narayanan: I believe FIDE has to take more stringent measures for both online as well as OTB
13-Sep
Hans Niemann and Magnus Carlsen to meet at the Julius Baer Generation Cup
14-Sep
Hans Niemann to be back at the Saint Louis Chess Club for the 2022 Fall Chess Classic
15-Sep
Fabiano Caruana on Carlsen’s withdrawal: I do not think Niemann cheated in this tournament
16-Sep
Leonard Barden for Guardian on Niemann – Carlsen case: It is time for FIDE to step in
16-Sep
Stephen Colbert jokes about the latest accusations against Hans Niemann in his late night talk show
18-Sep
Alejandro Ramirez shares his insights on Carlsen’s withdrawal: I don’t think Hans cheated
19-Sep
Magnus Carlsen resignes against Hans Niemann in the second move
19-Sep
Susan Polgar on Carlsen’s resignation against Niemann: Definitely a protest move!
19-Sep
Hammer says Carlsen should be sanctioned in live Norwegian TV program
19-Sep
Fair-Play specialist Kenneth Regan: Niemann played well, but not too well
19-Sep
Levon Aronian: I believe Niemann hasn’t been the cleanest person when it comes to online chess
19-Sep
Magnus Carlsen applauds Pragg for the fantastic game
19-Sep
Reactions to Magnus Carlsen’s resignation
19-Sep
Niemann’s and Carlsen’s facial expressions during their 2-move game
20-Sep
Carlsen will not give any interviews during the tournament
20-Sep
Anish Giri: we know about online cheating by multiple other chess players
20-Sep
Nakamura on Carlsen – Nieman Julius Baer game
20-Sep
Martin B. Justesen: Carlsen is handling the Chess.com merger like Elon Musk did with the purchase of Twitter
20-Sep
Carlsen’s resignation is the top story in Norwegian newspapers
20-Sep
Why was Hans Niemann invited to the Julius Baer Generation Cup?
20-Sep
Naroditsky: I am pretty confident that Magnus believes Niemann has cheated over the board before Saint Louis
20-Sep
The Carlsen – Niemann conflict is more recent than everyone thinks?
20-Sep
What if Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann meet in the Julius Baer Generation Cup Knockout phase?
21-Sep
Levon Aronian on 21-move loss to Niemann: Hans played very strange moves
21-Sep
FIDE closely follows Carlsen – Niemann case, a statement to come
21-Sep
Emil Sutovsky: FIDE is concerned about recent developments of Carlsen – Niemann case
21-Sep
BREAKING! Magnus Carlsen: cheaters should not be taken lightly either online or OTB
21-Sep
Niemann’s mentor whom Carlsen mentions in the interview was banned from chess.com for cheating?!
22-Sep
Susan Polgar: Sadly, the performances of other young talents are overshadowed
22-Sep
Anish Giri about the recent chess drama: It’s moving in circles a little bit
22-Sep
Fabiano Caruana: I would take Regan’s analysis with a large grain of salt
22-Sep
Magnus Carlsen: Some people were more supportive privately than publicly
23-Sep
Ian Nepomniachtchi: I was unhappy to hear Hans Niemann will replace Rapport in Sinquefield Cup
23-Sep
FIDE publishes the official statement on the Carlsen – Niemann case
24-Sep
Top grandmasters take Carlsen’s side in the Carlsen – Niemann case?!
24-Sep
Hans Niemann is innocent until proven guilty
25-Sep
Susan Polgar: DON’T CHEAT! It is simply NOT worth it!
25-Sep
Magnus Carlsen announces his statement(s) for the coming days: I want cheating in chess to be dealt with seriously
26-Sep
Kenneth Regan for Al Jazeera: I was in daily communication with the Sinquefield Cup organizers
26-Sep
BREAKING! Magnus Carlsen publishes the official statement: I believe that Niemann has cheated more
26-Sep
Chris Bird – Chief Arbiter of the Sinquefield Cup 2022 reacts to Carlsen’s statement
26-Sep
Nakamura on Carlsen’s statement: It seems to me that Carlsen thinks Hans was cheating in the game they played at the Sinquefield Cup
26-Sep
Reactions to Magnus Carlsen’s official statement
26-Sep
Is Carlsen’s statement the end, the beginning of the end, or only the end of the beginning?
26-Sep
Fabiano Caruana and Maurice Ashley comment on Carlsen’s statement (C-Squared podcast)
26-Sep
GM Nigel Davies on Carlsen’s statement: This is a very clear accusation of cheating, but without actual evidence
27-Sep
Susan Polgar suggests a lifetime ban for second cheating offense
27-Sep
Ramesh RB: FIDE should have devised a good practical solution to the cheating problem years ago
27-Sep
Anish Giri reveals moves of the “Beach Game” between Niemann and Carlsen
27-Sep
GM Raymond Keene: Niemann could now raise stakes by consulting M’Learned Friends
27-Sep
Sergey Karjakin on Carlsen’s statement: Niemann’s guilt has not been proven, but there is no smoke without fire
27-Sep
The Carlsen – Niemann controversy is top news in mass media
28-Sep
GM Daniel King: “It seems to have been forgotten that a 19-year-old has been thrown to the lions”
28-Sep
Hikaru Nakamura comments on Yosha Iglesias’s “the most incriminating evidence against Hans Niemann”
28-Sep
Motherboard reviews e-mails in which Maxim Dlugy confesses cheating on chess.com
29-Sep
Eugene Perelshteyn defends and criticizes Carlsen on the Hans Niemann cheating accusations
29-Sep
Garry Kasparov: Carlsen’s behavior was unacceptable
30-Sep
FIDE’s Fair-Play Commission forms the investigatory panel for the Carlsen – Niemann controversy
1-Oct
Ian Nepomniachtchi explains what could be considered evidence of cheating in chess
2-Oct
Hikaru Nakamura on the recent Carlsen – Niemann case developments: I don’t see a happy ending to this
4-Oct
The Wall Street Journal publishes chess.com’s findings on the Carlsen – Niemann case
4-Oct
Hikaru Nakamura on chess.com’s findings about Hans Niemann: This is the big drama
4-Oct
Reactions to chess.com’s findings about Hans Niemann
4-Oct
Chess.com publishes 72-page report on Carlsen – Niemann case
5-Oct
GM Noel Studer: It’s insane that chess.com knew Hans likely cheated over 100 times and would have let him play in CGC
5-Oct
“The report speaks for itself” #TweetOftheDay
5-Oct
Emil Sutovsky: Magnus didn’t follow FIDE’s procedures and may face some consequences
5-Oct
Hans Niemann goes through strict anti-cheating control at the US Chess Championship
5-Oct
Hans Niemann leaves the US Chess Championship studio after saying that chess speaks for itself (VIDEO)
6-Oct
Tony Rich: We have to assume Hans Niemann is innocent until he is proven guilty
6-Oct
Susan Polgar: I cut my friendships with some fellow GMs because they were caught red handed cheating
6-Oct
What would have happened if Niemann had not defeated Carlsen at the Sinquefield Cup?
7-Oct
Hikaru Nakamura: Hans Niemann is trying to play the victim
7-Oct
Wesley So: Hans Niemann disrespected everybody in the chess world
8-Oct
Fabiano Caruana: The 2022 Disrespect Championship is just warming up
8-Oct
GM Alejandro Ramirez: It seems very likely that Hans Niemann has cheated over-the-board
9-Oct
Fabiano Caruana after defeating Hans Niemann: I am exhausted, it was a very difficult game
9-Oct
Hans Niemann: I was making an order and the guy said to me “This order speaks for itself”
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