The Chess Game That Broke the Internet and Most Infamous Chess Game In history – Magnus Carlsen vs Hans Niemann, Round 3 Sinquefield Cup 2022. Carlsen withdrew after this game, and a chess cheating scandal has ensued. Various theories, from anal beads to leaked prep, have followed, but Hans Niemann has remained defiant, stating that he did not cheat! So that’s the game I am going to analyze today.
Magnus initiated the game with a move of D4. The opponent responded with Knight F6, followed by C4 and E6. It is common for top players to avoid Knight C3 and Bishop B4 by playing Knight F3, which deviates from the main line of the Nimzo-Indian defense. However, Magnus chose a less common move by playing G3, instead of the more popular options like E3, Queen C2, or immediate Knight F3. Although G3 is not as intimidating for black, it bears resemblance to the Catalan opening, which Magnus has been favoring lately.
In preparation for Magnus’s move, Hans castled and Magnus played Bishop G2. Black responded with Pawn D5, and here Carlsen made a rare move of Pawn A3, attacking the bishop. Hans captures knight on C3 with check, pawn recaptured the bishop, Hans made a really good move by locking down the two pawns after capturing on C4. Magnus now had to spend some time in reclaiming his pawn, and it became challenging to activate his dark-squared bishop, despite having the bishop pair. Consequently, Magnus began with Knight F3, while Hans played Pawn C5, another principled move. If white attempted to capture the pawn on C5, the exchange of queens ruin castling rights. Hans even had the option to play Queen A5 to regain the lost pawn.