Talking to Kaja Snare right after dominating the preliminary stage of the Generation Cup, Magnus Carlsen finally referred to the alleged-cheating scandal that has shocked the chess world. When directly asked about why he had ‘withdrawn’ from his game against Hans Niemann, the world champion responded:
Unfortunately, I cannot particularly speak on that, but people can draw their own conclusions, and they certainly have. I have to say I'm very impressed by Niemann's play and I think his mentor Maxim Dlugy must be doing a great job.
Carlsen did not confirm nor denied that his decisions were motivated by suspicions of cheating, but he did clarify that he intends to shed more light on the subject later on.
I hope to say a little bit more after the tournament.
