Check, mate.
Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann was seen having his rear end inspected as he arrived to compete at the US Chess Championships in St. Louis on Tuesday.
An official at the event was seen repeatedly waving a metal detector over the 19-year-old’s butt following wild claims that the prodigy recently cheated with wireless vibrating anal beads that he inserted into his rectum.
The theory created buzz online last month after the whizkid caused a major upset by defeating Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, 31, at the Sinquefield Cup on Sept. 4.
According to the Riverfront Times, some pundits proclaimed that Nielsen was tapping into a remote computer via the vibrating sex toy — though the logistics of how that would work were unclear.
Despite no evidence of foul play, Niemann quickly became the butt of jokes — including one made by Elon Musk.
“Talent hits a target no one else can hit, genius hits a target no one can see (cause it’s in ur butt),” the Tesla CEO tweeted on Sept. 8, according to Riverfront Times.
Niemann eventually placed sixth in the Sinquefield Cup and has not addressed the anal beads allegations.
However, the International Chess Federation, the chess world’s governing body, is conducting its own investigation into his match against Carlsen, who later suspected his opponent was cheating.
Niemann has admitted to cheating twice in the past — but only as a child.
However, earlier this week, a 72-page report released by Chess.com alleged that the grandmaster likely received illegal assistance in more than 100 online games, the latest of which occurred as recently as 2020. Those matches included contests in which prize money was awarded.
The investigation was not able to conclude if Niemann cheated in any in-person matches.
Chess.com uses a variety of cheat-detection tools that draw on analytics to compare moves to those recommended by chess engines, which can beat even the greatest human chess players.
The report highlighted “many remarkable signals and unusual patterns in Hans’ path as a player” that “merit further investigation based on the data.”
“Outside his online play, Hans is the fastest rising top player in Classical [over-the-board] chess in modern history,” the report states. “Looking purely at rating, Hans should be classified as a member of this group of top young players. While we don’t doubt that Hans is a talented player, we note that his results are statistically extraordinary.”
