[Steko]

Whether Hans cheated OtB is not really the main issue although most commenters get hung up on it.

Occam’s Razor suggests we should strongly believe he didn’t cheat OTB.

The bigger issue is that known cheaters create a cloud of suspicion that puts their opponents at a huge disadvantage. Magnus has spoken about this before - if you think someone might be cheating you can’t concentrate on chess.

This suspicion can be allayed with extra security but that extra security was only deployed after Magnus left.

[WastingMyTime89]

> Whether Hans cheated OtB is not really the main issue although most commenters get hung up on it.

It’s not only the main issue. It’s pretty much the sole issue. The only other one I can see is how harshly Magnus should be sanctioned by FIDE for leaving a tournament without a valid reason and his little stint on Twitter.

> The bigger issue is that known cheaters create a cloud of suspicion that puts their opponents at a huge disadvantage. […] This suspicion can be allayed with extra security but that extra security was only deployed after Magnus left.

Magnus knew perfectly well how the game would be played and security was more than adequate before this game. Tournaments takes preventing cheating very seriously and the Sinquefield Cup is no exception.

[faeriechangling]

>security more than adequate

There are tons of viable methods for cheating. I’ve heard the method of taking a break on a balcony and having a conspirator flash singles at you with car headlights. Or a cheating device in your shoes, or hidden in even more private places.

The point being is that if Hans really wanted to cheat OTB the security measures to stop him are rather inadequate. More theatre than anything.

Do I think he cheated OTB? No but he could have. There will always be that raised suspicion, that extra degree of doubt given Han’s repututation.

[Ekaros]

Maybe then we should increase security level in these events. Demand all the players to be naked, in locked rooms. With full body cavity search. Just to exclude any possibility. Do not them leave until game is over. Bucket can be provided if needed...

[FartyMcFarter]

The room also needs to be a Faraday cage, in case a player has a radio device implanted under the skin, or swallowed one.

Don't forget soundproofing to prevent communication via noises. Oh, and enough earthquake proofing to prevent communication via vibrations.

[fizzynut]

How is it occams razor?

This person has been caught cheating in the past several times including for prize money tournament so it's much more likely they have cheated many other times and were not caught.

There are many ways you could cheat in a OTB match, most people don't understand how easy it would be, one of the ways you can tell someone is cheating is that they don't understand why their move was good, often computer lines are very unintuitive and moves sacrificing a piece without any positional or tactical compensation mean it has found an idea that requires calculating more moves ahead than any human can.

In the post game analysis hans gave, it was terrible, lines that he suggested often being 1 or 2 move blunders, not expanding on insanely complicated positions, but simply claiming "the chess speaks for itself" and misevaluating who is winning in many variations that were shown, often when deciding between two different lines how well you evaluate the end position is critical to picking the correct line.

I don't know if hans did cheat in this tournament, but if he didn't then he was quite actively giving the impression to the other players that he was, which has would give a huge psychological advantage, not because the opponent "can't concentrate on chess", but because if your opponent is offering you pawns or a piece for "free", in a game against a human you will take it, in a game against an engine taking it means you have already lost.

[dandanua]

> if you think someone might be cheating you can’t concentrate on chess

I wonder how young players can concentrate on chess when they know if they suddenly win over the King then top chess entities can ban them from chess? And the fan base of the King will run after them all over the internet with threats?

Magnus just wanted to be more than a chess King. Evidently, it means being less than a honest human.

[faeriechangling]

Now I think Magnus is being a bit of a dick but he is the honest one in this dispute and his feelings are at least understandable.

[addicted]

What is honest about Magnus in this situation?

He hasn’t even said anything. All he has done is taken cryptic unexplained actions and released cryptic unexplained tweets.

If Magnus believes Hans cheated (again, that’s a big if because Magnus hasn’t said anything) and Magnus is actually correct that he cheated, even in that situation Magnus’s entire set of actions since he lost have been highly dishonest, since his entire communication strategy has been to leave cryptic messages that people can read anything into, without yet having made any clarifying statements.

[faeriechangling]

I have a few choice adjectives to describe Magnus’s behaviour but I just don’t get how it’s dishonest to be cryptic.

[microtherion]

If something like that is enough to bother Carlsen, one wonders how he would have fared in the circus atmosphere of a 1970s Chess World Championship match: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chess_Championship_1978