Magnus Carlsen reveals true origin of anal beads accusation thrown at Hans Niemann in chess cheating controversy

Magnus Carlsen recently appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast, and the pair had an entertaining conversation about the growth and development of chess. In what was an insightful interaction for chess fans, Carlsen revealed the secrets behind his preparations and approach to top tournaments.

In an interesting observation, Carlsen also revealed the key differences between reigning world champion D Gukesh and Alireza Firouzja. The India No. 1 lost to Firouzja at the Weissenhaus Grand Slam event.

What caught everyone’s attention were his details on the controversial cheating controversy with Hans Niemann. Carlsen has never spoken in detail about the scandal, and a legal settlement also doesn’t allow him to do so. But he revealed that he will be talking about the controversy in an upcoming Netflix documentary.

Magnus Carlsen rejects anal beads accusation thrown at Hans Niemann

Rogan also asked him about the anal beads accusation thrown at Niemann. It was alleged that the American GM used anal beads to communicate and cheat via morse code.

To everyone’s surprise, Carlsen rejected the accusation and revealed it’s true origin. “It (the rumour) actually started in one of my friend’s streamer channel’s. A random guy made a comment about anal beads and he was like ‘Yeah, maybe’. I think it started making the rounds on Reddit and then Elon (Musk) saw it, tweeted about it and then obviously it blew up.”

“I really, really don’t believe that that has happened. I think that has no connection to reality but it just became a thing of its own,” he added.

Since their 2022 Sinquefield Cup cheating controversy, the pair have had a bitter rivalry. Niemann has also taken multiple times to X, and stated that it has ruined his professional career leading to a lack of invites to top-level tournaments. The pair will take on each other at the upcoming Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam event, where Niemann has been included.

According to Freestyle Chess co-owner Jan Henric Buettner, Carlsen wasn’t pleased with the decision to include Niemann in Paris, but accepted it. The pair’s showdown could also see a dramatic rise in the attention and viewership for Freestyle Chess.