Chess grandmaster fires back at Elon Musk for reigniting 'comedic conspiracy theory'

Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann has hit back at Elon Musk and accused him of spreading a ‘comedic conspiracy theory’.

American chess grandmaster Niemann was only cleared of claims that he cheated in a 2022 match using vibrating anal beads last October.

The dispute had scandalised the world of chess after world champion Magnus Carlsen implied that Niemann had cheated in a match in late 2022 when he beat Carlsen in the prestigious Sinquefield Cup.

It marked one of the biggest and most controversial stories in the history of the sport, and Niemann clearly didn’t appreciate Musk talking about it on social media.

Musk posted a picture of a modified pair of Apple AirPods on Twitter/X, and a user replied to the post jokingly asking it they were what “that chess player used”.

Musk replied by referencing chess engine Stockfish: “I have to say that if he did use Stockfish butt vibes, he deserved to win. At least once.

“Computers are so much better than humans at chess, it’s absurd.”

Niemann hit back by saying: “Although my innocence has been proven by multiple official chess organizations, I understand the comedic value behind this conspiracy theory.

“I look forward to becoming world chess champion, and letting the chess speak for itself.”

It’s not the first time that Niemann has disagreed with Musk on social media.

Writing on Twitter/X, Musk previously looked to chess to discuss how AI will continue to impact on the world.

Musk wrote: “Won’t be long before AI can win at games that have vastly higher degrees of freedom than chess. Hope it’s nice to us.”

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Taking issue with the post, Niemann stressed that the game of chess was much more complex than Musk was giving it credit for.

“Your point is valid regarding top level chess where deep computer preparation nullifies human creativity, however, for 99 per cent of chess players, there is plenty of room for creative exploration and intellectual stimulation.”

He went on to say that human intuition still played an integral patch of matches.

“More than happy to show how chess is a far more interesting game than you might realize.”

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