THE HANS / MAGNUS SCANDAL | Full Background, All Interviews

Everything that happened at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup in regards of the Drama between Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann.

00:00 Hans wins against Magnus
00:43 Hans' oost game interview
02:47 The next day, Magnus withdraws
05:30 Executive Director Interview
06:55 Levon Aronian Interview
07:53 Fabiano Caruana Interview
08:22 Nepo Interview
09:01 Hikaru accuses Hans of cheating
10:34 Hans Interview Round 4
12:50 Shak Interview
13:53 MVL Interview
16:28 Fabiano Interview Round 5
17:38 Wesley So Interview
19:30 BIG HANS STATEMENT

WWC Magnus Carlsen withdrew from the 2022 Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis, Miss., USA after he lost to US youngstar Hans Niemann. Who, at the time, was rated almost 200 elo points below Magnus, who was the highest rated player in the world (still is after the loss). On the next day, just minutes before his game against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov would have started, Magnus postet a ominous tweet, stating he withdrew from the complete tournament.
Rumours started to spread that Hans Niemann cheatet in some way against Magnus. Loudest supporter of these, to this point, baseless accusations was Chess-Streamer Hikaru Nakamura.

In Round 5, two days after his win against the highest ranked player Magnus Carlsen, Hans Niemann gave an emotional Interview, clarifing that he didn't cheat, that Hikarus points where badly researched and wrong and that he was deeply dissapointed in his former heroes.

[musical_lolu]

Jose Mourinho must be wondering why he's suddenly popular in the chess world of all places.

[highdesertbiker]

WOW, you put a ton of work in to put this video together. I've been trying to publish videos myself about this drama since the Chess community doesn't output much Youtube content.

[chakrbd]

I love how Levon went from "he is sick - I don't know" to "when young players ...." - cracked me up

[ericrodriguez]

Thanks so much for taking the time in putting this together, really helps not having to look for all these clips everywhere.

[DPCurtisSydney]

The most impressive thing about this is Alejandro's interviewing technique; he has a manner that draws everything from everyone, it is really quite something. I love it, he's quiet, probing, and familiar, very powerful to get what's required.

[coolbeans]

Good thing that you put all of this together in one video!

[atzuras]

Aronian is nailing it. Common sense and human perceptions and reactions are at the core of this controversy.

[supernoobsmith]

Hans having his account access removed is shameful. There has not even been a formal accusation.

[Master_of_Chess_Shorts]

Great compilation. This thing is spreading faster than a Californian forest fire. All suspicions so far. Everyone is waiting for proof that may never come. Damage is done. Niemann is already condemned. All his chess pieces will weigh a ton from now on. Hope he can still lift them.

[timetraveler]

hans triggered magnus
he can probly trigger wc back to defend his title

[miguelferrigno]

I think Magnus watched the botched interview with the live blunder and the "looking into the opening" and got extra suspicious. Since he evidently has not any evidence, he just "knows".

[koho]

The idea that Magnus withdrew just because he lost to a weaker player and freaked out is just silly.

[JungleLarry]

"Qh4 here, what does the engine say?"
"Well it says you hung a piece and this position is completely losing."
"Oh maybe Qh4 some other time then."

[JimmyJJJohnson]

This is all bizarre.

I'll admit, when this drama started I was inclined to think some sort of foul play seemed likely. Based on the reactions of various pros. I don't know what to think now.

The main weird thing is that it seems very odd for Magnus to feel so uncomfortable about something that he leaves a tournament. He must be strongly convinced something is going on (cheating or leaked prep/ hacking etc), he's not the type to just think "someone beat me, they must have cheated". Reading between the lines, I think it's quite probable that he deliberately played a line he doesn't normally play to see what happened. A sting of sorts. Now, it could just be a wild coincidence that Hans prepped the exact lines he chose, leading to a perfect storm of suspicion. It just seems unlikely. Magnus getting too far inside his own head and therefore playing badly in a way that served to help confirm his suspicions seems plausible in this scenario. But overall it's still all unlikely.

On the other hand, cheating otb seems hard to pull off and quite unlikely. Hans's explanations for his prep, and his interviews, are all at least plausible.

Something unlikely has happened either way.

I'm out of my depth 🤷‍♂️ just hope there's more clarity to come.

[gabrielllllllllllllllll]

this guy is just extremely full of himself. if you put everything together, like staying in a room studying for 2 years and even losing your native accent, beating MAGNUS with black pieces and bragging about it on the interview, sacrificing everything for chess and bla bla bla. Paiting himself as a true hero, a modern bobby fischer... it is clearly pure ego.

[valentinrafael]

The 9:14 thing that Hikaru does is SO MISLEADING. In the continuation of that interview, Hans says "Ok, maybe it was Qh4 on some other move". He sounds confused, yeah, sure, but from there to "he is cheating" it's a way.

[robertoalexandre]

Posting the video of Mourinho is what is causing all the hubbub: using the words of another to make a controversial statement that one lacks the courage to make directly in public seems cowardly, yet the bombshell effect is the same. I would have preferred "I am withdrawing from the tournament for reasons related to a breach of trust at some level about which I am not going to speak." Period. This still would have drawn speculation, but Carlsen would not need to hide behind Mourinho's highly charged words which conflate rigged soccer results with an accusation of cheating or some sort of betrayal in chess. One must realize that without concrete evidence, one either opts for silence or a simple statement of personal reasons. Magnus opted for a flawed indirect strategy (like a man who hires a killer but doesn't do the actual killing) that is having a very negative effect on GM Hans.

[sakketin]

Hans should reply with a Mourinho quote of his own:
I am not feeling the pressure no, you can not put pressure on me.

[lilschlagen]

At first when I heard about this situation I thought Hans seemed suspicious because so many GMs were saying "Oh he doesn't calculate well, he has a history of cheating, etc." but the more GMs I hear speak neutrally, in his defense, his former coaches responses, and Hans' own response the more I think he's innocent.

You don't have to pick a side and stick to it. You don't have to rely completely on one or two sources you trust or like. Stay open minded and, to accidently paraphrase Hans, "Let the arguments speak for themselves."

I thought Hans was incredibly suspicious based on what I heard and hoped he would definitively get caught cheating. Now I think he's getting completely screwed over and that Magnus or his team or whoever need to speak up soon to clarify this situation quick. Magnus might get in trouble for whatever he doesn't want to say but Hans is already paying the price for him not saying it.

[viktorgoa]

you missed the Firouzja interview and post analysis