Added on 9/19/2022
Most of us thought the drama was over. After Carlsen quit the Sinquefield Cup with his sibylline tweet, citing Mourino - the famous soccer coach - the chess world was shaken by probably the most controversial quarrel ever. On the socials - especially on Twitter - two "teams" formed, with experts and amateurs - or simple chess lovers: those who accused Niemann of cheating (without any proof) and those who defended the young American player. Some even recurred to statistics to "show" that Neimann cheated, but without being convincing at all. The arbiters of the Sinquefield Cup came out with a strong statement, affirming that there had been no evidence of cheating during the event in St. Louis. On the other hand, chess.com closed Niemann's account, affirming that he had been cheating much more than what the American admitted in an interview after round 5 of the Sinquefield Cup. Anyway, with the days and the weeks going by without any statement from Carlsen, the drama seemed almost over. Until today. The Meltwater Champion Chess Tour - the Julius Baer Generation Cup kicked off Sunday, with Magnus Carlsen facing the young talent Arjun Erigaisi. Today, Carlsen had to play Hans Niemann, and the unexpected happened: The World Champion made one move and resigned, disconnecting immediately without a word. Here is the moment Carlsen resigned and the webcams of both players: And here is the commentators' reaction after Magnus Carlsen resigned on move 1: Now commentators seem to be taking Niemann's defense, accusing Carlsen of unsportsmanlike behavior. Some think the Norwegian should be expelled from the tournament! The drama is on, and until Carlsen doesn't tell the chess world what's going on, speculations will flood the socials. It's a great time to be alive and a chess lover! EDIT: Magnus Carlsen speaks for the first time after he quit the Sinquefield Cup! Check out his interview: Now Carlsen and Niemann can only meet in the finals! Would Carlsen play the American if they make it to the final encounter? We'll see.
UPDATE: Niemann lost to Liem Le in the quartefinals. Carlsen will face Vincent Keymer in the semis. The World Champion spent words of praise for the young Keymer in a recent interview. Magnus Carlsen is the Julius Baer Generation Cup champion! The World Champion beat Arjun Erigasi in the finals, breaking the 2900 Tour Rating barrier.