World champion Magnus Carlsen quits game amid cheating allegations

Magnus Carlsen

Norwegian world chess champion Magnus Carlsen abruptly withdrew from a game against American Hans Niemann, reigniting an ongoing cheating controversy in the sport. After playing just one move in a match against Niemann on Monday night in the "Julius Baer Generation Cup" online tournament, Carlsen resigned the game without a word and turned off his webcam in front of stunned commentators.

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The five-time world champion, 31, did not give an explanation, but his gesture was seen as a further protest against the young American, 12 years his junior. A week ago, Carlsen withdrew from the Sinquefield Cup in the US after losing to Niemann, a young rising star in the chess world but who has admitted to cheating in online games in the past. In a message that was widely understood as innuendo, Carlsen then posted a video from 2014 of coach Jose Mourinho on Twitter. "I'd prefer really not to speak. If I speak, I am in big trouble," the Portuguese coach said.

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