Carlsen v Niemann: the cheating row that is rocking chess – explained

An American teenager’s victory against the world champion has sent chess into uproar. We answer the key questions

UPROAR: Magnus Carlsen of Norway. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

What is going on in top-level chess?

Allegations of cheating – including wild speculation involving vibrating anal beads – have rocked chess to its core. A fortnight ago the world champion Magnus Carlsen pulled out of a tournament for the first time in his career – and then, on Monday, he stunned the sport again by resigning a game after just one move. Both times Carlsen was faced with the same opponent, the 19-year-old American Hans Niemann.