Chess grandmaster accused of using sex toy to cheat, win against world's top player

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (TND) — Rumors are circulating that a 19-year-old chess grandmaster used vibrating anal beads and artificial intelligence to defeat the world's current top chess player Magnus Carlsen.

Chess prodigy Hans Niemann, 19, fiercely rejects the accusation that he cheated in his win over Carlsen on September 4 at a tournament at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Before his loss to Neimann, Carlsen, 31, boasted an impressive 53-game winning streak, according to the New York Times.

Carlsen's loss reportedly occurred during the Sinquefield Cup, the final leg of America's longest-running chess tournament that features a $350,000 total prize pool.

Carlsen is a five-time chess grand champion and was made famous for being a chess phenom since the age of 13, according to The Riverfront times, which adds that a documentary film centered on him titled "Magnus" helped the chess player's fam spread from just the typical chess enthusiast audience. Following his loss to Niemann, Carlsen shockingly withdrew from the tournament.

Niemann was accused of cheating almost immediately after his win. Detractors believe that an accomplice was using artificial intelligence to determine what moves Niemann should make and then sending signals to a vibrating set of anal beads, which Niemann is accused of having inside him, to communicate those perfect moves, according to The Daily Mail.

It's such a peculiar, if not just bizarrely vulgar, accusation that it has escaped the usual chess enthusiast circle to become a widespread internet rumor and meme. Billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk even joked about the accusations but has since deleted his tweet. However, the tweet Musk was quote tweeting remains up.

Talent hits a target no one else can hit, genius hits a target no one can see (cause it's in ur butt)," Musk said in his tweet, modifying a quote by philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer.

Niemann vehemently denies that he cheated, claiming he has "never cheated in an over-the-board game," according to the Daily Mail.

If they want me to strip fully naked, I will do it," Niemann reportedly added. "I don't care. Because I know I am clean. You want me to play in a closed box with zero electronic transmission, I don't care. I'm here to win and that is my goal regardless."

And, as the New York Times reported, though many accused Niemann of cheating, no one provided "concrete evidence." However, it does appear that Niemann was previously banned from online chess websites for cheating when he was 12 years old, something he doesn't deny.

It must be embarrassing for the world champion to lose to an idiot like me," Niemann said during an interview following his win, according to Vice. "I feel bad for him."

Among the 10 chess players who were participating in the Sinquefield Cup tournament that day, Niemann was reportedly the lowest rated and least likely to win against Carlsen.

The New York Times said that "there is no question" that Niemann's win over Carlsen is a "statistical anomaly."