Hikaru Nakamura 'cheating scandal'; Here is what you need to know about the controversy

The 35-year old chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has found himself amidst the controversy after the former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik accused him of cheating. However, Chess.com has cleared Nakamura of all the allegations in a recent social media post they uploaded. This article will help you understand the controversy.

Hyderabad: Controversies are part and parcel of the sport and Chess is no exceptions to the norm. The chess buffs have witnessed a series of events which has erupted in a massive controversy. Chess Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has been at the center of the controversy in recent times as he faced accusations of cheating by former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik.

'Kranmnik vs Nakamura' -The verbal feud between Kranmik and Nakamura started on November 20 when the former questioned latter's winning streak of 45 victories and one draw in a popular online blitz chess competition known as Titled Tuesday through a cryptic post.

Kramnik wrote in his post 'I believe that would be interesting' noting that it was statistically unlikely to register that many wins.

2023 World Championship finalist Ian Nepomniachtchi also added a cryptic tweet while highlighting Kranmik's post which included a “Because he’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now.”

After allegations from both the players, Nakamura hit back at them, calling out Kramnik with a message “just come out and say what you’re trying to say. I think he’s doing it to undermine chess,” he stated in a Youtube video.

To put an end to the whole discussion, Nakamura came up with a cheeky tweet which summed up all his moves and their explanation with it. The post on X read "Given everything that's happened, I think to prove my ability, I should have to record myself playing, verbally explaining the logic behind all of my moves, while also playing very fast. Wait a minute..."

The post had a link to his Twitch profile, where he has uploaded multiple videos explaining his moves, which can be accessed from the following link.

In a recent revelation by the Chess.com, they found Nakamura not committing any wrongdoings after going through 2000 individual reports to verify the allegations by Kranmik.

'Carlsen vs Niemann'- Notably, it is not the first instance when a player has been accused of cheating by the other. Carlsen had accused U.S. chess prodigy Hans Niemann in 2022 claiming that his opponent was cheating in over-the-board games against him. The matter turned into a legal battle as Niemann filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit but the matter was resolved outside the court eventually.

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