Hans Interview UPDATE + Elon RESPONDS

[@masterbeernuts9344]

... and we have Hans Niemann with the brown pieces.

[@jujubean9063]

Oh my god bro. That is so gross 🤣

[@masterbeernuts9344]

FWIW, i just listened to the St Louis Chess Club vid on youtube, and i don't believe Hans cheated in this tournament. Was just making a joke.

[@sleepycat4k]

Better bring in Dylan to give us a quick rundown.

[@nicbonsai7111]

No idea

[@Jsef0801]

Ewwe

[@ethan073]

Anyone who says “I haven’t used anal beads, I don’t even know how anal beads work” that many times in one video has definitely used anal beads and most certainly knows how they work.

[@deltalima6703]

Surely people know how they work whether they have used them or not. Definately suspicious that he would lie about it.

[@stt5v2002]

Context matters. For example, if a random person walks up and says this for no reason, I agree.

[@chesscomsupport8689]

I haven't used them, but I know how they work. It's not that hard to find out if you watch h*ntai.

[@andrewcady8827]

Eric is renowned and cited around the world as an expert in anal beads. He's just joking about not using them.

[@thisthresh4248]

i use them for bobbers on my fishing rod

[@Corbett-CM]

Hey! For any publications browsing through the comments for a brief synopsis: Throughout the video, Hansen basically discusses the ins and outs of anal bead usage and identifies himself as an expert (via personal first-hand experience) on the matter.

[@David-qs7yv]

This sounds right.

[@qqw743]

Don't even bother watching, this is a perfect summary.

[@magnum4989]

thank you for clarifying, it's good to finally get the inside scoop

[@STR4nG3boy]

gold, pure gold

[@AzamFahmy]

Thank you for the summary, will be quoting in the NY Times. Thanks

[@fritzlange7934]

“I’ve never used an anal bead.” Eric, we’re all friends here, no need to feel shame.

[@spearskin7999]

Omg 😂

[@qwerty30291]

I will not judge him on that I mean transsexuals can join the Army now.

[@BumboLooks]

@@qwerty30291 And five year old's can be transsexuals now and Pedophiles are "victims" of systematic abuse now and less people have full time well paying jobs now and...... It is all good because it is happening and accepted!!!!!

[@YaroslavNechaev]

Secretly Eric has a PhD for developing state-of-the-art stockfish anal beads technology. It has been a top secret document stored in Area 51 for a while. One theory can be that Hans was a test subject there and this technology was deeply embedded into his body feeding top engine moves directly into his brain at all times. Chess community now have to decide - if you became one with the stockfish, symbiotic organisms that literally can't exist separately anymore - does it still count as cheating? There are no regulations addressing the cyborgs out there as they don't use external help, they ARE the engine. That also explains interest from Elon Musk - he probably wants to reverse-engineer this technology for his Neuralink startup.

[@Brien831]

Dont support these guys

[@YaroslavNechaev]

@@Brien831 probably a bit unfair to Hans - I think that Magnus knew all the controversy around Hans's online behavior and was tilted during the game after getting worse out of the opening, although, of course we would unlikely ever know the whole story here. But still, I think only through laughter can we heal as a community. And also for some reason my sci-fi senses got tingling when I heard about a butt plug neural interface idea. Not sure why.

[@platypusboi]

Is this theory?

[@dant8162]

Not theory, just pleasure

[@gregorymorse8423]

Elon deleted the tweet to prepare a neurolink directly between his brain and Eric's anal beads. Poopchute stockfish is real

[@Slapwagons]

Now that we know Eric is the foremost expert on the usage of anal beads I wonder what method of signaling he thinks is being used. Is he using 8 anal beads where a series of vibrations could tell Hans which piece to move where? Or is it maybe just a singular bead that can receive data and Elon put a microchip in Hans' brain to decode the data being sent to the bead? I'm sure the possibilities are endless, but those are the two that I can imagine off the top of my head.

[@Alan-qv7fv]

I really wanna know how is the signal for: is this theory?

[@qqw743]

I don't think it makes sense for us to speculate how anal beads are used. As you say, Eric is the foremost expert and I'm sure he will be providing tutorials on stream.

[@daxatax129]

he's actually using 64 anal beads, one for each square

[@TheMagnificentTube]

He’s using adhd meds

[@gurrojos154]

Morse code

[@tommyg421]

I laughed so hard when I saw Elon tweeted eric talking about anal beads lmao never in my life did I expect that to happen

[@xol9331]

3 TIMES

[@fritzlange7934]

Totally normal day.

[@DuanRussel]

Link? Link?

[@stevengibson2251]

It is giving Elon new ideas for his neural implants.

[@Josh-yu9jm]

Sorry you didn’t get called out by Hans, Eric :( You’ll get em’ next time.

[@TheAndrwwJohnson]

There better be a Chessbrah plug in your merch asap lol

[@quazzydiscman]

Lol...chessbrah Knightrider, now available in black or white!

[@xhivo97]

Shut up and take my moneys!

[@jolsm9726]

Your buy support the channel and, apparently, improve your chess

[@raylopez99]

🤣Time to pony up the horsey and up hole-d your end of the bargain!

[@marijanl3373]

Pawn size for beginners,bishop size for intermediate and king size for experts.

[@johnrichardson7629]

Thanks, Eric. This is the most sober discussion of the matter I've seen yet.

[@meinhart_esror]

Yeah I didn't know there was so much to anal beads. I am really glad Eric talked about his hobby there.

[@johnrichardson7629]

@@meinhart_esror That's not the part I was referring to ... 😁

[@meinhart_esror]

@@johnrichardson7629 There was another part?

[@johnrichardson7629]

@@meinhart_esror 🤣🤣🤣

[@allomyself]

Eric is not an expert, just an enthusiast

[@loafes1352]

No idea about weather he cheated OTB, probably not is my suspicion. But I thought it was kind of a given that his online cheating was way more prolific than what he had admitted to

[@AmericazGotTalentYT]

yea also like there's 100% chance he cheated online against Magnus. that's why he was so adamant about "i never cheated against you Hikaru"

[@mariotravieso8731]

the interview with the accent was the most sus thing ever for me

[@s0ftism]

If he cheated OTB, I think it could be with some kind of bone conduction device hidden in his hair. It could be something that he hid in the building and put it on in the bathroom.

[@cyclone2012]

am i dumb or is that the wrong weather

[@rasputozen]

​@@s0ftism People are clowning on this kind of thing but it's completely doable with the tech available today. Chess moves can be relayed with very little signaling.

[@bobIsCoolhaha]

It surely shows how media operates. Absolutely insane.

[@VAL3NTIN3]

Absolutely insane for you to actually believe everything the media says. It's also absolutely insane that you get absolutely insane or surprised

[@christophergusikat5574]

@@VAL3NTIN3 Absolutely insane

[@aychar]

"Nobody cares about the truth when the lie is more entertaining"

[@bobIsCoolhaha]

@@VAL3NTIN3 that is stretching it.

[@Nietzschebot1]

It's not like they don't have stockfish to deep "anal"yze the games of Hans on their database. A high enough percentage of improbable non-human moves over a large enough number of games would be incontrovertible evidence of cheating.

[@foilto3971]

how can anyone tell what a "human move" is?

[@whitecanid8938]

@@foilto3971 One possibility is to use technology similar to what the DeepMind team did with the AlphaGo Fen/Sedol type of technology, where a neural net is trained to evaluate the probability that a move is human. The AlphaZero type of neural net wouln't be able to eval that since it is completely self trained without human database references.

[@Smallpriest]

@@foilto3971 just ask a human

[@longpong331]

Check out chess babe podcast she will be releasing a exclusive podcast interview with hans next week tell everyone you know.

[@denostar]

A Turkish youtuber analysed some of the games he lost (and they're not mant in the last 2 years) and what he found suspicious was, most of the blunders he made were "right piece on a wrong square" So he suspects a cheat like "hand and brain chess" That somehow he gets what piece to move and in complex positions he makes a bluınder.. I know it's far fetched but the games he picked (about 5-6) were spot on.

[@chrissoto1657]

Can we start a petition to get Hans' chess account restored with the name "GMAnalBeads" ?

[@eizendragon5141]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@wingthomaux]

I would guess that he cheated multiple times over a certain period of times when he was 16y old. He said during the interview that he cheated to gain rating and play better players, so it’s clear he cheated in rated games repeatedly to gain rating as fast as possible.

[@raylopez99]

True. That was then, online, this is now, OTB. Minors commit serious crimes and when they turn 18 their record is expunged. Hans has never cheated OTB and why start now? Is V. Khymer cheating? Is Pragg? Hans is in their league, has the talent.

[@Mats-Hansen]

@@raylopez99 Cheating previously does of course not mean he has cheated now, but it does warrant suspicion. How many of the other talents you've mention have been caught cheating online?

[@koran0010]

@@Mats-Hansen suspicion should stay suspicion and nothing more, but he seems to be facing disproportionate consequences.

[@Mats-Hansen]

@@koran0010 What other consequences than suspicion has he faced?

[@clarebloss5359]

@@raylopez99 Hey Ray I heard Bernie Madoff is claiming he's honest now. You should look into investing with him.

[@Messiah2g]

This is fucking hilarious!!!!! These media outlets following through with a twitch chat troll is truly epic

[@Uragaan1]

tbf Bild is a tabloid and not what any would consider a reliable news source lol

[@jujubean9063]

I’m dying over here from laughing. I can just see Eric waking up after a good twitch stream and opening his phone to find Elon Musk and some “news” outlets running away with his anal bead joke theory. This is THE BEST CHESS DRAMA EVER! Anal beads!?!? Fucking hilarious.

[@jort93z]

magnus is probably cringing reading it lmao.

[@JayzsMr]

State of modern media

[@floridaman6982]

8:55

[@loafes1352]

I knew about the Elon tweets, I didn’t realise that the joke had made itself in to main stream media. Journalism at its finest

[@AmericazGotTalentYT]

lol Elon is way way way more mainstream than any blog or article. Even NYT or WSJ (which it made it to).

[@loafes1352]

Sure, but Elon is clearly putting out a joke tweet. The ‘journalists’ are passing off these headlines as legitimate stories

[@jadiellima8922]

Same, dude, that is hilarious, sad and concerning, but so hilarious at the same time

[@jamesotis4115]

omg the media on this is hilarious. great job covering things as usual Eric. Unbiased and fun.

[@damiester1]

Eric is so famous I'm proud.

[@kigakiku2011]

I’d like to see a more serious tech discussion on how specifically OTB cheating could actually be pulled off… like what type of device(s) exist that could transmit signals like this and be undetectable by the wands? Are those wands easily defeated? How would a cheater deal with time delay in broadcast issue?

[@edoardomeneghini3627]

You can encode and decode almost any kind of messages with zeroes and ones. In fact, that's what computers do and what morse code is, if you think about it. In this case I don't think it's necessary to go that way, since you could map letters from A to H to the corresponding numbers, so that "E5" would be "5 - 5". I don't find Eric's funny theory to be stupid, to be honest. You could easily implement some kind of device that connects to a computer through a controller or even by itself (given that you carry an antenna with you), computes the best moves and sends them back encoded in some kind of vibration/sting/tap/whatever. At that point, your ass would vibrate 5 times, stop and 5 times again, and you'd know that the best move is E5. Wait till you get to H8.

[@manawearblack]

Idk if telling everyone how to cheat otb is exactly the best idea for the chess community lol

[@sausage4mash]

i think more plausible would be an accomplice ?

[@rasmusdamborg5755]

Not sure exactly, but utilizing a hearing with connectivity capabilities could be an option. Coming from the hearing aid industry, I know for a fact that you can get (basically) invisible hearing aids that are so deeply placed in the ear canal. The fact that the aid is deeply inserted in the ear canal and is covered by a hard plastic shell could potentially have fooled the metal detector wands. Similarly to e.g. metal wires on braces that often are not detected by metal detectors. Anyone following the turnament live could have given direct instructions from far away based on engine moves, and it would only have been Niemann who could hear this. Also, it makes sense that he could take this risk, as if it was detected by the wands, he could easily argue that he has a minor self-detected hearing loss, and bought the hearing aid online. Of course this is a bit far fetched, but it is technically easy to achieve and easy to explain in case he got caught. Edit/addition: Assuming this was done also explains Niemann's massive hair, which helps conceal any "invisible" pull-out string for the hearing device :D

[@sahrkastic7254]

an implant directly connected to the brain such as the ones used to treat Parkinson diseases since several years, TBD if signals can be discrimated from synaptic electric activity externally

[@sammywohl5194]

Honestly I just hate the timing of it all. Chess com knew full well of Hans' cheating and gladly invited him to play cause of his popularity. Now after he gets accused by magnus of cheating possibly they rescind for the same reason? In my opinion it makes chess com look horrible and I lost a lot of respect for them.

[@koho]

We don't know. But the trigger doesn't seem to be Magnus, but that Hans misrepresented his cheating in his statements. If so, the timing makes sense. We'll see.

[@andrewbradley3305]

@@koho they banned him Before the interview

[@koho]

@@andrewbradley3305 And why would they do that? There is something we don't know.

[@davidquinn9676]

They wanted him as long as he was going to lose. When he showed he could win, they cancelled him. Many people in the world don't want Hans, now an American, to succeed, that's obvious from even foreign newspapers. Not to say this is the future, but one Fischer was too much for them.

[@davidjr4903]

@@davidquinn9676 did the lizard men tell you that? conspiracy nutcase

[@ram42193]

imagine if the theory is actually correct

[@ram42193]

@Ман ван данн alternative headlines 'Hans rides his way to success'

[@TheWillsss]

@@ram42193 'An ass-tonishing way to cheat'

[@user-un8jx8yo7z]

I guess we know the best way to cheat at these tournaments now if they're not doing cavity searches.🤣

[@farazsiddiqui1312]

@@TheWillsss 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@rcdanger]

Is this still theory?

[@slythespacecat]

Eric i know you're a GM and stuff, but this HAS to be the greatest achievement of your life 😂

[@sergioqcostas]

What about dating alex

[@DavidSchwegler]

Once you start a pattern of cheating, you lose the right to be offended when people are suspicious of you.

[@robdubent]

So you’re the judge, jury, and know it all eh?

[@Onticly]

I wouldn't consider 2 times within a span of 4 years a pattern.

[@nonacesool]

@@Onticly 2 times he got caught

[@raylopez99]

Not true. in some states ex-felons can vote.

[@Onticly]

@@nonacesool you're right that's all anyone knows. I stand by what I said that's not a pattern. You can assume and speculate all you want.

[@nodumpling1484]

To quote Dave Chapelle, "...I don't think he did it. I'm alone in this. I DON'T THINK HE DID IT!!! [reconsiders] I'm not going to say I don't think he did it, that's too strong. Let me just say, I am reserving judgment until all the facts come out."

[@BucksBirdBarn]

i like these commentary videos eric. even after this chess drama i would enjoy videos like this summarizing tournaments, players to watch, dating escapades, etc.

[@rocketrob9436]

sounds like Derek has a crush on Eric? he does not seem the type to kiss and tell, so probably no dating escapades, but maybe you can get a kiss yourself if your woo and chivalry are strong

[@MrMarlowe3488]

I mean, watching the interview I feel like the second "time" he cheated, the impression I got was he was cheating kind of regularly to get his rating up in hopes of getting more clout from playing well known gms for twitch subs. He wasn't saying he only cheated twice, he said there was one specific instance when he was 12, and then over a period of time when he was 16. The guy does ramble and just isn't the best speaker so maybe I heard it wrong. I can totally see the argument that there should be stricter penalties for cheaters, I feel like the issue here is chesscom presumably knew of his history when they initially gave him the penalties they did, then changed their minds specifically because of the controversy at Sinquefield. If this is newly discovered info, then the timing is strange, if this isn't newly discovered, then why wasn't it a problem before all this happened?

[@qqw743]

"I only did it twice, and only online, and not online with you Hikaru so why is everyone on my case" is one of the most tone-deaf if not bullshit things you'll ever hear. He claims to regret what he did when he was younger, but here's what he would sound like if he were actually contrite: "They have a complete right to be suspicious of me, I've put them in that position; I just hope to earn their trust back in time."

[@Wird97]

Maybe they want to make an example out of him? Like, "we'll give you a pass if you keep your head down", then things got messy

[@eulefranz944]

Jup very well put. Imagine chesscom lets a cheater run on their site for years after unbanning his account, knowing his past, knowing what their cheat algorithm spits out How do they aquire evidence _just now_ so suddenly? Seems fishy, but lets wait for additional info

[@MrMarlowe3488]

@@Wird97 i mean, then how did he not keep his head down? By beating magnus? Should be noted he got the ban that morning before the interview, which is why he mentioned it in the interview, so it had nothing to do with whether he was "honest enough" in his admissions. Like presuming he didn't cheat in this particular game, which chesscom presumably has no more evidence than the rest of us (and if they do they didn't say that in their statement), he beat magnus, magnus, sort of accused him of cheating without saying it, and now he's banned? Like again if chesscom wants to make "you cheat once you never get to be in a cash tournament" the rule, they have every right to do so. But it seems like they're just getting swayed by whatever their perception of public opinion is and punishing according to that.

[@mwheezee]

He confessed to the 2 times he got caught, who knows how many times he didn't get caught!!

[@qrv123]

Great analysis. Absolutely agree that people should not be super attached with their first instinct and should be willing to change opinions with new information.

[@aniruddhamersey4139]

Coming from the guy who stoked the fire in front on thousands lol

[@YSFmemories]

Yup. It was definitely Anal beads, confirmed beyond doubt

[@robdubent]

Right but this is the iNtErWeBz and nAkA sAYz hE cHeAtEd errrrrr insinuated it for four hours…. So those 800’s know best!!!

[@obsolete959]

Yes. My first instinct was that Hans deserves the benefit of the doubt, but the anal bead theory is so foolproof that it has turned my mind right around.

[@neur303]

No, you shouldn't be judging at all until you have concrete information. Ofc you can hypothesize, but you need to be aware that you should not have any confidence without enough information.

[@monroelawrence1774]

you didn't get called out because you weren't flagrantly inappropriate in your discussion of it. simple as that

[@TernaryM01]

Thanks to Eric, the current chess drama will be remembered in history as the "Assgate".

[@radicalrick9587]

*If he was using Anal Bead it would be super simple to relay the moves. As an inventor and owner of an invention company I can tell you how such a thing would work: a Chess board has 8 rows and 8 columns, so it would vibrate 1-8 times first either the columns or rows first(depending on which you and the co-conspirator(s) agree on). Example: vibrate 4 times the for which column sq then 6 times for which row sq, that would mean move your piece to d6(chess notion). Do this twice to indicate which piece to move to d6 if it's not obvious which piece should be moved to the d6 sq. So a person watching TV or sitting with the Audience watching the live big screen would have a smartphone and a handheld device for transmitting the signals. If the chess tournament is being broadcast live then even a kindergarten kid could pull this off. To fight this just delay the live broadcast by about 5 seconds give or take a few.*

[@gregorymorse8423]

Lol the international news picked up the chessbrah anal bead theory. Its become a huge meme. Absolute legends 💯

[@terryboland3816]

And now every single thread will contain the same painfully unfunny comments from people with no wit or imagination.

[@edmorrison5645]

That will be such a pain in the ass.

[@Life-Sky]

It seems like Hans is being accused based on speculation, Magnus didn't clarify anything and when confronted Hikaru backs down saying "I didn't literally say he cheated" like the hypocrite he is.

[@wicked5999]

Right? He insinuated it so heavily that you could almost argue he DID literally say it

[@ciprianamza843]

@@wicked5999 as well as yoou could almost argue Hans DID literally cheated.

[@wicked5999]

@@ciprianamza843 on what grounds? Personal opinion?

[@ciprianamza843]

@@wicked5999 same as in your case, but you only see what you want to see.

[@wicked5999]

@@ciprianamza843 did Hikaru heavily insinuate that Hans cheated? Yes. Is Hikaru very influentual in the community? Yes. So what are you talking about? My statements are not opinions.

[@SUCACU]

Finally a great commentary on the new info

[@timg2655]

Could be that Magnus played differently/was affected mentally because he knew of Han's cheating history, even if it was only online years ago and not OTB. It takes a lifetime to build trust but moments to destroy.

[@alekhinesgun9997]

Cool theory, however Hans was definitely using anal beads

[@joewagner4593]

Probably. Alireza pretty much said he was influenced by this. He said Hans Qg3 move was insane, but he "trusted" his opponent and played for a draw.

[@davidquinn9676]

@@joewagner4593 you're going to infer that from that comment? Ridiculous. In this month's Chess Life magazine "How Bobby Thinks" we have Robert Byrne quickly refusing a pawn from Fischer that he probably should have taken, because he trusted Fischer and was basically intimidated. This was before computers could play 1500 level chess.

[@davidquinn9676]

It takes a lifetime to build a reputation for good character by being a great WC who was fair to opponents -- and about 3 days of smear without substantiation to destroy. We're really not waiting for Magnus anymore, contrary to what Eric says. He needed to speak days ago, or not send that tweet. If Magnus couldn't deal with knowing that someone cheated in a few online games, and it made him play hundreds of points weaker, it's not the old Magnus for sure.

[@karadparth]

@@davidquinn9676 trusting Bobby Fischer moves is not the same as trusting anyone else's moves

[@boyohazard]

It's like I thought; he admitted to "crimes" he has already been done for. Doesn't mean he is innocent of other "crimes" not does it prove he is guilty.

[@dominiks5068]

12:07 that's literally the biggest newspaper in Germany lmao. millions of people read it each and every day

[@obsolete959]

The mind-boggling thing about all of this is why did Magnus withdraw and make a public insinuation immediately after losing? If he thought Hans is cheating, the correct approach would've been to take it to the tournament organizers in private since if Hans was cheating, he would be likely to continue to do so and could be caught the following days with increased security and eyes on him. I know chess players may not be the brightest people outside of chess, but going public with an insinuation before finding evidence was straight up idiotic and all but ensured that conclusive proof could not be found. If Hans was cheating, he surely took the anal beads off the moment he read Magnus' tweet.

[@khalil2460]

Magnus actually didn’t insinuate anything the internet just said he must mean this. He only said “I’m withdrawing and I’ll get in trouble if say why” I’ll be back next time.

[@TraumaNaked]

Correct approach according to who? You? Who are you?

[@HugoHenriqueGrah]

True

[@shreshth231]

Magnus' handling of the situation is really dumb. I was thinking about what you have commented on my own yesterday. If there was a suspicion then be discreet about it and see if you could try and catch him in the act. Then I thought maybe he did it because if he had let the moment pass , the level of scrutiny wouldn't be as much as it is now. That's the only reasonable explanation other than 'Magnus is a cry baby' I could come up with.

[@obsolete959]

@@TraumaNaked I'm a person capable of rational reasoning. If you suspect someone is a drug dealer, do you send them a message voicing out your suspicions to allow them to dispose of the drugs before the police arrives or do you go to the police and let them surprise the dealer?

[@Julian-ud7ob]

"Bild" is basically the worst german newspaper hahahaha

[@koho]

Lots of cognitive dissonance. I find it hard to believe Hans cheated OTB. But everything else - and there's a lot, including his sort of mono-maniacal personna - tells my gut that something is off. I have no idea how this is going to be resolved.

[@NeaEmrys]

It might take years, but hopefully not.

[@raylopez99]

Innocent until proven guilty. Unless he's making 99% Stockfish moves and was like Borislav the Bulgarian cheat a high expert that's now playing like a 2700, there's no reason to be sus with Hans. He's a legitimate phenom, like Khmer is, like Pragg.

[@VirtueInEternity]

The fact that someone's personality and "instinct" are the way he is being accused of being suspicious by most people shows a witchhunt

[@MBMASTR]

@@raylopez99 He will never do this. He need to play just some second od third Lines.

[@jackkupsch6393]

@@raylopez99 There's no reason to be Sus? A guy who has been caught cheating on multiple occasions with a clear ego beats the best player of all time (with black) and results in them leaving the tournament which they have never done before and indicates he believes he was cheating. I am by no means saying he is guilty but to say there is no reason to be sus is just not thinking logically. Not to mention the other 10 red flags

[@radscorpion8]

what a completely hilarious turn of events. Congratulations to Eric lol. I can't believe it became the headline for a magazine around the world

[@otherwords1375]

If Magnus or anyone else objected to playing Hans because of his online history (which is reasonable), they needed to do so BEFORE the tournament began. Dropping out in medius res simply because you lost -- and having the gall to imply Hans achieved his OTB victory by cheating, a claim for which their is no evidence -- is not principled or fair.

[@BlueLOUill]

we dont know if there is no evidence

[@scottekoontz]

And since there have been zero evidence presented, we clearly know there is no evidence.

[@wondays654]

Brodie has the highest rating growth to 2700 in history. From 2450 rating to 2700+: Magnus - 3 years nepo - 5.5 years gukesh - 4 years alireza - 3 years anish giri - 3 years hans neimann - 1.5 years The data alone is reason to be suspicious even the most gifted prodigies haven't had such a meteoric rise in rating especially from 17.

[@kn-zv7uc]

What are you on about? Who said Magnus pulled out the tourny because he lost? Why do you assume he knew of recent cheating BEFORE the tournament? It's not even implied that his tweet or withdrawal were because of OTB cheating, specifically OTB cheating in the game he lost. That is something people have just assumed. There are many gaps in this story, but you can't just fill them with your assumptions and act as if they're facts.

[@ThatCoconutGuy]

@@wondays654 Don't want to root for the guy, but you are presenting information out of context. He was 2480 rating ~1.5 years ago, but he was also 2420 rating ~4 years ago. Those years contained covid in which fewer tournaments were held. Therefore, he might have very well been under-rated at the start of the 1.5 year period.

[@Zielfps]

Imo there is no 'cheated for fun' you are either legit or a cheater.

[@taipizzalord4463]

Convenient that all this contradictory information SUDDENLY only materialised right after the magnus game!. Step 1: ban him Step 2: he defends himself 2 days later Step 3: say that you banned him because of the things he said in his defense

[@sylver76]

Nope. They were nice enough to ban him privately because he cheated. When they did that, they didn't think he would be stupid enough to complain publicly.

[@rucjos]

@@sylver76 It seems like that. Hans is overplaying his hand in my opinion. No company would ban you like that just because of vengeance or light suspicion. Also, Hans looks hella sketchy. (not that he should be implicated for that though)

[@ETBrooD]

​@@sylver76 The most recent ban had no grounds.

[@martinpaddle]

His OTB games have been scrutinized by several people, including experts like IM Ken Regan, and nothing suspicious was found. Chesscom have yet to explain why they decided to take action for his online cheating in the middle of a tournament, right after he beat Magnus, and not before or after the tournament.

[@eulefranz944]

Yes. This is truely outrageous, you have to live off the mercy of the chesscom gods! If they dislike you, your online presence dissappears. Most chesscom streamers mentioned little or nothing, probably because they have a contract and do not want to ruin their reputation. Of course they will use the online cheating as a proxy but this does not make sense given the timing. Shamelessly growing their monopoly, lichess all the way tbh!

[@galois6569]

Maybe the whole drama prompted a more thorough look at his online games.

[@gnex4452]

Because Hans suspicious after the game against Magnus?

[@seanybuckets]

Yep doesn't add up, clearly a personal attack, and I'd also argue it is to appease Magnus. I doubt Magnus wants this though, if it turns out he has no evidence, then he looks like a scumbag for ruining Hans' career and not doing anything to prevent the downfall.

[@seanybuckets]

@@Aldwulf There was no crowd behind Magnus. Wesley So was behind Magnus, playing a game.

[@brittonspeciale9075]

The bead gambit. Well played.

[@qqw743]

"I only did it twice, and only online, and not online with you Hikaru so why is everyone on my case" is one of the most tone-deaf if not bullshit things you'll ever hear. He claims to regret what he did when he was younger, but here's what he would sound like if he were actually contrite: "They have a complete right to be suspicious of me, I've put them in that position; I just hope to earn their trust back in time."

[@ascensionblade]

They knew about the cheating as a child and were happy to have him at the online event before Magnus got upset.

[@paul8093]

Exactly his own fault

[@matthewmullins4046]

Fuck that, never appease the mob

[@cjwerner2747]

If he's telling the truth , he was 12 and 16. Do you remember being those ages?

[@LeoStaley]

@@cjwerner2747 the dude is 19 now. 16 wasn't that long ago.

[@ramachandra776]

Magnus leaving without any explanations and only insinuation was the problem . he could have made public his opinion then and there . Hans categorically denying the insinuations and accusations was probably nobody accounted for . They have to provide at least a reasonable explanation for how Hans cheated OTB .

[@qqw743]

Disagree. Magnus was in an impossible position, because the most likely explanation of what was going on is that he strongly suspected cheating but didn't have definitive proof. So he couldn't keep playing, because that was intolerable to him. And he couldn't say nothing about withdrawing, because everyone would completely freak out and he wanted to provide some minimal respectful comment to St. Louis. So he said the minimum that he could, and now everyone's mad at him for that. The guy can't ... uh.. win.

[@MulldyrAnton]

Did you not watch the video? It was very obvious he cheated using anal beads. He even used them in the online cheating incidents.

[@matthewmullins4046]

@@qqw743 idk, maybe he could've given a tip and worked with the St. Louis Chess club to increase security and go incognito while they did an investigation to see if anything was out of order. Instead he made a scene and even if Hans cheated, gave him good warning in advance to cover up. Most pathetic move is insinuating completely unsubstantiated claims under a veil of if I talk I'll get into trouble.

[@rasputozen]

magnus wrote the anal beads comment on a burner

[@qqw743]

@@matthewmullins4046 I'll bet anything he did talk to Saint Louis before leaving.

[@Joemamado]

This whole video wasn’t about Hans it was just to flex Elon tweeted his video. Well played

[@briandoile5011]

Vibration sensors on the chairs might detect the dreaded bead postulation.

[@wilfredpease9785]

what about farts

[@jonbbbb]

@@wilfredpease9785 if you fart before every great move that would be suspicious I guess

[@ELI-73]

@@jonbbbb steampunk stockbeads

[@wilfredpease9785]

@@jonbbbb maybe you just get a little excited when you find a great move ;)

[@MaliciousUno]

He got caught cheating twice. Which means he cheated much more than twice.

[@ZacksHacks]

OMG I’m dying at those article headlines 😂 . Poor Hans.

[@graysonblanchard9584]

With a few beads deep I’m sure my accent would change too

[@oyaaraas]

In the interview, Hans states that against Carlsen he spent a lot of time to calculate to make sure all his variations and moves were indeed correct. But then against Firouzja he states that he hung a piece and moved the queen move quickly based on intuition and didn’t even consider any lines. Just thinking that was a bit incoherent.

[@MrBalor89]

He said he spent a lot of time against Carlsen? Then why was he always up on the clock against him? Lol 🤔

[@haggaisimon7748]

I was down today, anxious, worrisome. Your video changed the day to the good.

[@theminboss]

The way I see it: what's more likely, a liar turning his life around to redeem himself or a liar keeps lying? Redemption stories do happen but most of the time people just keep doing what they've always done.

[@Kalmaos]

They didn't check his shoes

[@sebastiandierks7919]

By the way, the German Bildzeitung you were seemingly quoted on is not a good newspaper. It's pretty famous and a lot of people read it (unfortunately) though. It's an easy-read, over-simplifying, eye-catchy yellow press newspaper. The German rock band "Die Ärzte" once famously sang, its contents were "fear, hatred, tits and the weather forecast".

[@ScreeAT]

Its called tabloid.

[@jason.arthur.taylor]

So, my situation is that I don't want to become a GM, just a CM (candidate master). What is the cheapest brand of anal beads that you recommend?

[@dannyshaw4057]

Is the last video being referred to as a 'drama video'? I am not entirely sure I would call it that, I thought Eric was being pretty reasonable in that video, as he is in this - sure it is a very serious subject for Hans, and a few others involved and Eric is having a little bit of fun, but the key thing is 'a little bit of fun'; the thoughts and reflections on the actual events seem pretty balanced to me. Is Eric trying to be an elder statesman of chess by being so balanced? I know he was talking about younger players who have appeared during the pandemic, but I still think he has a few more years of being a punk - I'm looking forward to seeing him in more of the e-sports type chess events, I would not be surprised to see him take a win at at one of those events in the near future.

[@kshtijsupperstar27]

Oh god the last part of the video is so hilarious

[@raylopez99]

"I have never used anal beads" - sounds like something a politician would say, ala Bill Clinton, all the while reserving the right to say he has used a butt plug, which is not an anal bead! :)

[@coolguyfry293]

This reminds me of when I got caught with 2 light square bishops over the board. good times

[@da96103]

It is possible if you promote a pawn to a bishop with the same colour as the one already on the board.

[@veni1]

Bild is actually one of the most popular German news letters, its also a private company

[@quazzydiscman]

As much as I loathe Danny Rensch, that was a near perfect response. Still got full popcorn.

[@facadeESEA]

why do people dislike danny rensch?

[@Snoo8356]

Danny rules. Amazing commentary, funny guy.

[@davidfranklin5426]

I dunno. The Rensch tweet doesn’t address the key issue, which is why now? Presumably chesscom has had this supposed information for awhile, but it suddenly bans Hans *after* Magnus throws a fit? Or does Magnus have independent intel that he somehow fed to chesscom? To me, the timing question demands additional explanation.

[@jdklein033]

Danny is awesome and has been awesome for chess. Odd to dislike a guy who has grown the game so much

[@AmericazGotTalentYT]

lol perfectly popcorny. took them 2 days to find the right idea for how to respond. regardless of whether Hans's cheating was worse than he claimed it to be, that's not sufficient reason to re-ban Hans because daddy Magnus got mad.

[@The_Youtube_Winner]

is this because he said the chess speaks for himself when he beat magnus? and magnus was already suspicious? i don’t follow chess drama so i don’t know anything. i feel like because magnus has never dropped out of a tournament i would trust him. magnus also hasn’t cheated so surely he knows something right? maybe he’s just handling it weirdly

[@mattsmith1126]

He actually clarified before that he cheated frequently as a 16 year old, for his streams.

[@grzesiek7358]

Very reserved and sober analysis. Also analysis of Hans' analysis. What worries me is that the other brah Anal Hambleton is silent with no analysis...

[@zada4a]

12:10 I havent laughed like this in a while lmaooooo

[@scrumpymanjack]

The guy cheated playing online chess, which means that he’s willing to cheat. Plain and simple. Not saying he did against Carlsen but Hans clearly has no morals when it comes to fair play or breaking the rules.

[@seandiamond7983]

Wait a second, he was banned before he confessed! Wtf!!

[@Airvian]

They already knew he cheated online. He was caught. He was basically just saying yea I did do it, and those were the only two times.

[@ThomasSeeds]

Sean you don’t pay attention at all huh?

[@fomori2]

@@ThomasSeeds People usually dont, more so these days where they go on social media to be told what to think, not how.

[@radicalrick9587]

*Some prisons have a chair that you sit in. And it's like a special scanner that detects if anything other than organic is up there. Like a phone, weapon, etc...* *They should have that chair at chess events.*

[@5bitcube]

Being caught cheating two times is not the same as cheating two times

[@youtubecensoringcomments7427]

Cheating online 7 years ago while being 12 years is not the same as cheating over the board at the Sinquefield cup

[@NullScar]

@@youtubecensoringcomments7427 Yes, it is exactly the same.

[@youtubecensoringcomments7427]

@@NullScar no it is not actually

[@NullScar]

@@youtubecensoringcomments7427 Yes, it is.

[@youtubecensoringcomments7427]

@@NullScar it is not. Not the same federation for a starter

[@woodandwandco]

The way he knows the moves is that each bead is shaped like a chess piece with a unique vibration speed for extra accuracy and pleasure.

[@Devilfish6666]

So in other words, he cheated an indefinite number of times throughout various time periods. Its just another chapter that makes it more and more unlikely he legit rose to 2700 in a years time OTB.....

[@apimpnamedslickback5936]

Bruh there goes the argument of it was only when he was a kid. Even tho he was a kid just 2 or so years ago

[@bkokohut1980]

He was 12 and 16 when he did it...

[@nickadt]

Yeah, I think people forget that he is 19. So even if he did cheat an indefinite amount of times, he was likely still a kid.

[@fredzugs]

@@nickadt being a kid isn't an excuse of character

[@TheJohnny007]

@@bkokohut1980 he is like 18, 19 now.

[@Wickerless]

What he exactly said, is that he was banned two times, then he went on to talk about those times. It does not mean it was just 2 game or 2 tournament, to clarify.

[@rohan1864]

His interview did feel a little off to me, when he talked about his past cheating incidents. He cheated at the age of 16, that's just three years ago - I don't think I felt AS detached at 19 from myself just three years prior to speak about that self as if they were an entirely different person. And that's the vibe I got from him. He continually called those instances his "mistakes", well it's not like he actually did those things by mistake, at least definitely not the one when he was 16. He knew he was cheating and he did it because he wanted to do it. It says something about him - at least about him at that point of his life. But if he truly changed since then, it is something for him to show and explain, but all he could say was to call it a mistake, which beside being an expression of him admitting that it was wrong, is also unfortunately a way to distance himself from what he did without it actually being earned and to avoid the uncomfortable implications of the fact that he did do it very conciously and intentionally. Beside that, he stressed out so much that the second incident didn't include any prize money and that he couldn't FATHOM cheating in a money event. But isn't that still a little ironic? Some people could also not fathom cheating in the games that he did cheat in, and he obviously could.

[@AquaCoalaNest]

Totally agreed. Cheating is not a "mistake".

[@cupidsroses]

i think 16 and 19 is still different than for example 25 and 28 because your brain is still developing a lot in this time and you change a lot more. so i do think, that you can change a lot, especially because these are your teen years. you definitely get a lot more mature in this time frame too.

[@nighthawk82]

that yet again confirms how much you can actually trust what's being reported in the mainstream media. you should always question what being told by the media in general.

[@your_average_joe5781]

Absolutely 👍

[@Roybatty066]

Why can't people accept that he has cheated all his throughout his career and Doesn't deserve to be trusted. I'm not allowed to send a link but look up... The 22-move (NO CAPTURE) win that made Hans Niemann a Grandmaster this game is totally unbelievable.

[@philoromaios]

Taking the Analysis to a whole new level

[@1980denman]

and the Bild is actually huge in Germany :) ...something like The Sun in UK...huge audience in any case. Regarding Hans, who knows what's the true, but the fact that Magnus withdraw in such a way is simply statement by itself...and hard to ignore. I can't imagine that he would do that without a strong reason, especially in such a way and with this kind of insinuation. Of course, it doesn't mean that he is right or that Hans is cheating, but I'm just saying that it's hard to ignore this and just say :"..there's no evidence.." .

[@miccorockstar1]

honestly, all you guys knee jerked and looked for flaws with obvious bias. it is disgusting and childish, how has bashing a top level chess player even helped you in your career.

[@TheRedstonedeluxe]

Very mature response, Hikaru should take notes.

[@depan55]

It appears to be a mature response but completely misses the point. The response addresses Hans' interview, but not why he was banned after beating Magnus OTB. It makes no sense to make this response by Chesscom, they're effectively just flinging shit around. If you really think about it, it just confirms that they are clowns

[@williamstdog9]

“I’m a liar and a cheat. But THIS TIME I promise you I absolutely did NOT cheat.” 🙏😬

[@cursedrr8647]

Nepo said that Hans "improved" when he is off streaming...

[@davidquinn9676]

and how does that make any sense as an accusation? If you've got some OTB cheating methodology, why couldn't you use it while you're still doing your regular streaming? They're not simultaneous.

[@flytoheights1]

Yes, it does undermine their other points. (If they are not fully truthful.)

[@amigosXcorrespondenc]

This can't get any better hahaha 😂

[@philipstevenson5166]

the mourinho thing is about the referee. presumably carlsen suspects niemann and wanted measures in place, slcc refused, and at 2.5/3 carlsen had had enough.

[@davidquinn9676]

what measures? SLCC amped up security in several known ways and maybe other unknown-to-us ways. If Magnus wanted him kicked out after he (Magnus) played at less than 85% accuracy, I'm glad SLCC didn't fold to that.

[@philipstevenson5166]

@@davidquinn9676 wondering why they did not have their round 4 measures in place from the start, given known online history and unusual rating rise; seems strange to introduce them part-way

[@juans8356]

Eric Hansen reporting again from ChessBrah Headquarters

[@raylopez99]

Deep within the bowels of ChessBrah HQ! :)

[@nihlify]

People that say you CAN'T cheat over the board underestimate what people are capable of. If people WANTS to cheat bad enough they'll find a way. It's not if Hans CAN cheat, it's if he actually DID.

[@theaccordian9377]

With zero evidence. This is a complete witch hunt.

[@keracked]

How can anyone trust Hans after openly admitting he has cheated multiple times as a professional chess player. With the increasing ease to cheating in the game of chess harsher penalties need to be enforced. Revoking his ability to ever play professionally again has to be the answer to maintain the games integrity. Both online and OTB. He's lied multiple times about cheating that he's admitted to. And we're just supposed to believe he's been honest at every other moment in his professional career?. You mean to tell me he never got away with cheating where no one suspected him? He admitted to the times he cheated when HE GOT CAUGHT!! that's all. If you have the character to cheat once, let alone twice(admittedly) as a professional chess player than you undoubtedly lack the minimum amount of integrity needed to be trusted online or OTB against any and all respectable Chess players.

[@raylopez99]

Cheating online is much easier than cheating OTB, that's why. It's almost a certainty Hans did not cheat when he beat MC.

[@keracked]

​@@raylopez99 you've failed to inform me of any new information. obviously cheating online is easier than OTB. If anything that only shows an even lower standard of character and integrity as a legitimate GM. I have no idea what you're getting at. Should we not have online tournaments due of the ease of cheating? or should we just be more lenient in professional online tournaments for money because its so easy?

[@keracked]

@@raylopez99 He has openly admitted to cheating multiple times in his professional chess career. World#1 for the first time in his career almost certainly insinuates foul play against Hans. But we should trust Hans because its a lot easier to cheat online than OTB. If this is comedy, I love it.

[@raylopez99]

@@keracked Read what you wrote. "How can we trust Hans?" was your question. I will be more explicit: you don't need to 'trust' Hans. You need to listen to experts in computer cheating (Arbiter Bird, Professor Kenneth Regan) who have analyzed the facts better than you ever could--they are experts--and concluded there was no cheating at the 2022 Sinquefield cup. Any other opinion at this point is baseless speculation.

[@keracked]

@@raylopez99 Those aren't experts. All high level players will tell you it'd be almost impossible to catch a cheater from the gameplay alone. Why haven't those "experts" detected cheating on hans' part for the tournaments to which Hans admitted to cheating? It would only take 1-3 assisted moves to beat someone 200 elo higher at that level. Bottom line. Many players and organizations have suspected him of cheating his whole career. World #1 acts completely out of character and forfeits tournament and refuses to play against Hans in the future. Like it or not that's the best evidence you'd ever find with the current security measures in place. And you can assume for legal reasons nobody could really go any further. What do you propose? A "random" strip search on Hans. Surprise him right before an OTB game. Prostate exam, Oral exam!? That's what it would take nowadays to spot a cheater with the hard evidence you claim is needed. Goodluck with that. What has transpired is literally the best you could get trying to convict any GM of foul play.

[@treudefreude]

To everyone wondering about the German "newspaper" at 12:13. It is actually the biggest newspaper in Germany in terms of copies sold, if I am informed correctly (atleast it was a couple of years ago). BILD is known to spread out information, even if it specifically knows that it is vague or straight up incorrect. While it may seem crazy, that the biggest German newspaper actually released an article about this topic, it is definietely not surprising at all. BILD has practically nothing to do with real journalism, since its only goal is selling copies and getting clicks to earn money.

[@the_bottomfragger]

This one of the few moments where the decline of journalistic accuracy and integrity is simply hilarious.

[@classic8529]

its just how german springer verlag bild zeitung understands journalism.

[@magnum4989]

what an incredible time to be alive

[@epistemologicaldespair68]

This should tell you all you need to know about 98% of news outlets my friend.

[@muchograndeyolatengo]

I feel that if any professional player cheats at any point in his life that that information should at a bare minimum be shared publicly with the chess community on principle so that it heavily discourages other people from doing it in the future. It shouldn't be kept a secret and swept under the rug. You could also make the argument for some kind of ban on top of that. I know it's a harsh punishment that will haunt a payer for life, especially in Hans case where he was young and foolish. But 0% tolerance against cheating should be the norm. And I think a lot of this drama could've been avoided if the elite players (probably including Magnus) didn't feel like they were covering for Hans in all of these years and couldn't talk about it. Just imagine covering for someone you know is a cheater to protect him and the elite chess community and he then turns around and ridicules you. It's a bomb waiting to happen. That's the only thing I think is worth discussing right now. Everything else is just noise until someone speaks up with something concrete.

[@ferretdash]

I have video of a local politician running around and screaming the N word when he was 20 years old after a beer pong tournament. He's a democrat and I'll never release that video. (we were also friends for like 3 years but mainly because he threatened my life if i ever release it and i do respect him hes a very smart guy and has his dream job)

[@VirideSoryuLangley]

I feel that any mistake you've made or lie you've told in your life should be shared with anyone you meet. I'm sure you have nothing to hide.

[@muchograndeyolatengo]

​ @viride soryu-langley I don't recall me asking for any chess player to reveal all of their private footages, private conversations and internet search history to the entire world. Look I'm open to have this discussion as long as the arguments are reasonable and not a complete red herring.

[@VirideSoryuLangley]

@@muchograndeyolatengo It seems pretty weird to advocate for total openness in chess, but not in personal life.

[@muchograndeyolatengo]

@@VirideSoryuLangley It seems weird to claim that those two things are related in any shape or form. 😕 That's like saying: if you want full transparency when it comes to politicians and prior cases of corruption, then you should also want full transparency when it comes to what underwear they are wearing.

[@nathanwallis9936]

Obviously someone watching the broadcast sent Stockfish responses to the beads, which vibrated the correct moves in morse code. Check the tape for squirming and signs of general discomfort.

[@raylopez99]

Or watch for the goofy smile on their face.

[@WrathDmnBand]

Something everyone is overlooking is that he drew Alireza the next day and in the interview he said he was distracted and thinking about Magnus leaving the whole time. Hans has had too many emotional outbursts on stream to be considered emotionally disciplined when his adrenaline is pumping. I think it’s almost just as “impressive” that he drew Alireza distracted as it was beating Magnus

[@bgdgdgdf4488]

@@Aldwulf evidence?

[@rcdanger]

We really need to get to the bottom of it