Magnus Carlsen’s apparent feud with Hans Niemann was reignited on Monday after the Norwegian chess grandmaster resigned from their online match.
Carlsen was in control of the black pieces in the Julius Baer Generation Cup and made his opening move after Niemann made his. After Niemann made his second move with the white pieces, Carlsen resigned.
A broadcast of the match was being streamed on Chess24.com, and the commentators were in shock by what transpired.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
“Magnus Carlsen just resigned. Got up and left,” said Tania Schdev, a chess grandmaster and Chess24 broadcaster. “Switched off his camera, and that’s all we know right now. We’re going to try to get an update on this.”
Carlsen would return to draw 17-year-old Indian chess grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. Both players were tied for second place even after Carlsen’s resignation against Niemann.
Carlsen and Niemann’s feud dates back to earlier this month. Carlsen lost to Niemann in a match at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis and Carlsen decided to withdraw from the tournament.
Niemann, 19, immediately faced accusations of cheating — from anything to wireless vibrating anal beads to a vibrating shoe, according to multiple reports. Tesla CEO Elon Musk even added to the controversy with a tweet of his own, suggesting something was in Niemann’s butt during the match. A professional gamer also suggested something like that as well.
UNSAVORY ALLEGATIONS ROCK CHESS WORLD AS AMERICAN TEEN SHOCKS NO. 1 PLAYER IN TOURNAMENT
Niemann denied cheating in an interview with the Chess Club earlier this month.
“I have never cheated in an over-the-board game. That is the worst thing I could do: cheat in a tournament with prize money,” he said, via KSDK-TV. “You know my dream came true. I lived my dream for a day beating Magnus, and then, all of this happened.”
Niemann had been accused of cheating in the past — both times while playing online when he was younger.
He’s said he’s never “cheated in an over-the-board game,” according to the Guardian.