In the wake of the Magnus Carlsen-Hans Niemann cheating scandal, the most high-profile controversy to jolt the world of chess, an important member of the scandal has decided to speak up. Maxim Dlugy, Niemann’s childhood mentor, had been mentioned by Carlsen in the wake of his allegations, speculating on whether or not he has helped Niemann cheat in the past. Dlugy himself has a tarnished reputation, having been banned by chess.com in 2017 and 2020 for cheating incidents.
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In a recent interview with Der Spiegel, the Russian broke his silence, calling Carlsen out for his “slanderous” claims against both him and Niemann without any proof.
“Two days before Magnus dropped my name in the interview, an old friend of mine had contacted me and asked about my relationship with Hans. I said I wasn’t his coach, more like his mentor,” he said. “He asked what I thought of the cheating allegations. I said they were reprehensible, ridiculous and slanderous. There is no evidence,” he said.
Magnus Carlsen and Hans Hiemann. (Special illustration by Suvajit Dey)
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Dlugy, himself a former grandmaster, revealed that he has known Carlsen ever since they went head-to-head in blitz games at the Sinquefield Chess Club, as well as some tandem games that have gone on till 4:30 in the morning. Having been on good terms with him in the past, he was surprised to hear his name attached to the controversy.
“The shock was all the greater that he now mentioned my name,” he added. “I had nothing to do with Hans at that time, I only gave him advice now and then. And suddenly I am dragged into this without Magnus thinking about what he is doing to me. Why is he doing this?”
Dlugy went on to claim that Carlsen’s allegations may be motivated by the fact that Niemann ended his 52-game unbeaten streak – that he does not like Niemann and he is perhaps a bad loser. “Magnus was very upset that against Hans, his streak of 52 games without defeat was broken. Maybe he also has a personal problem with Hans. He often behaves obnoxiously. That’s the way he is. Hans is Hans,” he said.
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Dlugy issued clarifications over the incidents that led to his bans from chess.com, which came to light after his emails got leaked. The first, he claimed, was a chess lesson gone wrong when one of his students used computer programs and AI to suggest moves in the game, suggestions he ended up taking. The second, in 2020, according to him, was the result of a false confession after he was accused of cheating when he did not.
“They told me I had 72 hours to confess. But I thought to myself: What kind of cheating? Look at the games, where am I supposed to have cheated? There is not even a reason for me to cheat in Titled Tuesday to win $500 or something. I charge more money for private chess lessons,” Dlugy asserted.
“But if I hadn’t confessed, my account would have been suspended forever and everyone would have thought I was a cheater. I didn’t want to go through that again, so I made a false confession, after which my account was unblocked. Chess.com told me everything was confidential.”
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The Russian said the best way for Niemann to save his reputation is to go to court, an option that he keeps open for himself, especially after his emails with chess.com were leaked. Dlugy said he has chosen to go public with his side of the story after consultation with three different law firms.
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“What Magnus did is absolutely ridiculous and very bad for chess,” he said. “(I am demanding) an apology from Magnus for dragging me into this. And an apology from chess.com for publishing our confidential emails.”
