India, Dec. 31 -- The chess community was recently shaken when Magnus Carlsen faced a fine and exclusion from a late-round match at the World Rapid Championship held in New York. This incident arose from Carlsen's refusal to change his jeans, which were deemed inappropriate attire by FIDE for the event. Following this, the World No. 1 announced his participation in the World Blitz Championship after FIDE decided to relax their dress code, permitting 'appropriate jeans.'

Carlsen's return has not been welcomed by Hans Niemann, who expressed his discontent on X, previously known as Twitter. The American grandmaster criticized Carlsen's behaviour, claiming it undermined 'the sanctity of the game,' and he also referenced the cheating scandal involving Carlsen from 2022.

Niemann stated, "It is disappointing to allow one individual to undermine the tournament and then to capitulate. FIDE has a duty to uphold the integrity of the game. The chess com mafia attempted to sabotage my career due to a similar emotional reaction; someone must take a stand!"

The history between Niemann and Carlsen dates back to September 2022, during their third-round encounter at the Sinquefield Cup, where Carlsen suffered a defeat to Niemann and subsequently withdrew from the tournament. This withdrawal was interpreted as an accusation of cheating against Niemann. The situation escalated further during their next encounter in an online event, where Carlsen resigned after just one move, fueling additional speculation.

In an interview, Niemann admitted to having cheated in online chess as a child but insisted that he did not cheat in his match against Carlsen or in any over-the-board games. In response, Carlsen issued a statement alleging that Niemann had cheated more frequently than he acknowledged. Subsequently, Niemann was banned from Chess.com, which also published a report accusing him of cheating in online matches.

In response to the situation, FIDE initiated an investigation, while Niemann proceeded to file a lawsuit against Carlsen, his organization Play Magnus Group, Hikaru Nakamura, and Chess.com’s chief officer Daniel Rensh, alleging unlawful collusion and defamation. The lawsuit was subsequently dismissed, and it was later disclosed that all parties had reached a settlement, which led to Niemann's reinstatement on the Chess.com platform. Furthermore, Carlsen expressed his willingness to compete against Niemann if they were to be paired in future matches.

During the initial controversy surrounding the jeans incident in New York, Niemann accused Carlsen of employing lobbying tactics due to his involvement with the Freestyle Chess Tour. He also believed that Carlsen aimed to undermine FIDE and establish his tour as the official world championship.

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