Carlsen resigns on move 2

[Ian Thompson]

Kramnik seems to have gone on a generalistic rant about how easy it is to cheat online.

You mean this?

"I would like to inform that from now on will only play events on chess.com with serious anticheating measures such as cameras and share screen. Unfortunately, to my surprise I have realised that cheating is quite a common practice even among titled players, and since here the approach towards this seems to be quite tolerant (quite a few titled players are using comp assistance during games according to my conclusions based on statistics and mathematical probabilities and getting away with it), it is growing and growing, as far as I can judge by statistics I am collecting last couple of months. I hope one day some REAL fight against fraud online (and cheating in prize events IS a FRAUD) will start but for now I will keep on publishing statistics and videos, develope anticheating math systems and publish the conclusions. But since collected enough material for my private investigation, will stop playing Cheating Tuesdays and other events without strong anticheating measures. Thanks for your understanding."

[Paolo Casaschi]

…quite a few titled players are using comp assistance during games according to my conclusions based on statistics and mathematical probabilities…

…but for now I will keep on publishing statistics…

Does anyone know where Kramnik might have published the statistical evidence he’s referring to?

[Roger de Coverly]

Does anyone know where Kramnik might have published the statistical evidence he’s referring to?

I wonder whether he is going to do any more than demonstrate that top players train with engines.

That said, is it the case that chess.com broadcast events like Titled Tuesday in real time with engine analysis? If so then in the absence of observation, then setting up a second dummy user to monitor the analysis stream would seem an obvious device to the potential cheater. Equally obvious would be for chess.com to suppress the real time analysis coverage. Perhaps that is either "too difficult" or not commercially viable.

[LawrenceCooper]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYgUp9AGo5k&t=1s Vladimir Kramnik video covering his recent game against Hans Niemann.

[NickFaulks]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYgUp9AGo5k&t=1s Vladimir Kramnik video covering his recent game against Hans Niemann.

What a load of rubbish, Kramnik really is embarrassing himself. I know, I'm not a top GM so I couldn't understand, but I can still smell manure from five yards. Even the comments, which normally tend to be supportive of any cheating accusations, point out glaring holes in his arguments.

I do have to admit that I gave up after the first half.

[LawrenceCooper]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYgUp9AGo5k&t=1s Vladimir Kramnik video covering his recent game against Hans Niemann.

What a load of rubbish, Kramnik really is embarrassing himself. I know, I'm not a top GM so I couldn't understand, but I can still smell manure from five yards. Even the comments, which normally tend to be supportive of any cheating accusations, point out glaring holes in his arguments.

I do have to admit that I gave up after the first half.

I think he's questioned/alleged/accused so many players now that if he did stumble on something concrete then it would be viewed with scepticism.

[Chris Rice]

I persisted to the end and agree with Loz and Nick that the arguments Kramnik was putting forward were incoherent. It annoyed me when he kept saying 99% of GMs would agree with him, I'm sure a lot of them wouldn't but its a lazy way of backing his claims without providing any substantive evidence. In his game against Niemann he was puzzled when Niemann moved too fast, he was puzzled when Niemann took 5 or 6 seconds for a move, he applauded Niemann for his deep knowledge of the Berlin and criticised him later for not knowing what to do, he criticised Niemann for playing senseless moves even though it was a blitz game when you have to move fast rather than accurately, it was very frustrating to listen to him to be honest because what he was saying was contradictory as to whether he was cheating or not. He never uttered the word "cheating" as far as I recall but always dressed it up with things like "I was puzzled" "this move appeared senseless" "99% of GMs wouldn't even consider such a move".

It appeared to me that essentially what he was trying to say was that Niemann was being selective in his games as to when he was cheating. Something along the lines that clearly if the engine was turned on his results were phenomenal but when he was playing without the engine he was playing with the standard of a candidate master (2200 Elo). The last example of the rook ending against an anonymous 2800 player where Niemann lost and didn't seem to have even basic rook and pawn technique was the proof for Kramnik. However, as I'm sure practically every person on this forum knows when you're playing blitz you often play senseless moves just to get a move in and you start banging your head against the kitchen table as you realise it was so bad that even a beginner wouldn't play it. You can't judge blitz games by classical chess standards.

[LawrenceCooper]

Vladimir Kramnik on the C-Squared Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng3lTBAi4Ps

[NickFaulks]

Vladimir Kramnik on the C-Squared Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng3lTBAi4Ps

Who is going to take one for the team and sit through the whole two hours?

[LawrenceCooper]

Vladimir Kramnik on the C-Squared Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng3lTBAi4Ps

Who is going to take one for the team and sit through the whole two hours?

I had it on, albeit whilst doing other stuff. All I'd say is it's of more value than his chess.com rants but had it not been raining all morning I probably wouldn't have put it on.

[Geoff Chandler]

I did the same as Lawrence, had it on in the background whilst answering emails, posting, picking horses for my 10p and 20p bets and solving puzzles...

I stayed with Kramnik for just over an hour. He is serious and believes sincerely in what he is saying but he is just expressing concerns that most (all?) online players have. Most have tucked their worries to the back of their mind and accept that occasionally they will hit a cheat and trust the measures in place to catch them. You have to. If you convince yourself every opponent is a cheat this will affect your game and the enjoyment.

He appears to think that if stricter measures sometimes traps an innocent player then that is OK. Adding that sometimes innocent people in the past have been executed for crimes they did not commit. (I'm not going to listening to it again to confirm but it came out that way.)

Short of placing a rep in the room with the player I cannot see how they can be 100% sure an online player is not cheating.

[Paul Cooksey]

A short, brilliant video from Niemann in response: https://twitter.com/i/status/1701739730809782549

[Christopher Kreuzer]

For the record, this is effectively an open letter from Niemann to Kramnik, saying that Kramnik is one of his chess heroes (my phrasing, not Niemann's) and that he would love to train with Kramnik and show him the 'Niemann style' and he would pay for this valuable chess coaching. Classic!

(1-minute video beats 2-hour monologue 'Hans' down.)

[Geoff Chandler]

I wonder if Kramnik will accept. I'd guess not but there again why not. If he is interested in cheating online then maybe seeing how a modern young player who plays moves he does not understand can be mistaken for cheating may help weed out genuine players from cheats.

Both players will learn things from each other, Hans certainly will and Kramnik will have an ex-thief to a catch a thief in his team and make a few bob on the side.

He needs the money, did you see his mouse when he held it up. A big chunk of plastic with a rubber ball on the base and a thick wire. C'mon grandad even I have a wireless mouse. (I wonder what system he is using, a Russian pirated version of WIndows 3.1)

[Chris Rice]

Very well played by Niemann and puts Kramnik right on the spot. They could film the session if it ever happens and looks a great candidate for a Netflix documentary.