Controversy Surrounding Daniil Dubov’s No-Show at World Rapid and Blitz Championship Sparks Cheating Debate

Former World Rapid Champion Daniil Dubov has found himself at the center of a new controversy surrounding cheating in chess after missing a crucial round against the USA’s Hans Niemann during the Blitz event of the 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Championship in New York on Tuesday.

Despite his absence, Dubov later accepted Niemann’s challenge for a head-to-head match. Niemann was awarded a point by default after Dubov failed to appear for their scheduled game. Dubov explained the incident to Norwegian media outlet NRK, stating, “I went to the hotel to quickly prepare for the game, but then I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was too late, so I came back later and continued playing.”

When questioned about how he could sleep through such an important match, Dubov humorously replied, “I don’t know, I’m obviously talented.”

Following the incident, Niemann extended an open challenge to Dubov, offering to pay for his travel and accommodation, as well as a $10,000 reward to a charity of Dubov’s choice if he wins. Dubov accepted the challenge after Niemann’s quarterfinal loss to Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, but with specific conditions.

In an Instagram post, Dubov proposed a lie detector test for Niemann, stating, “I’m ready to play, under the following conditions: You agree to a lie detector test with a trained professional… If the test comes out clean, I will admit my decision was rash and play a 24-game blitz match against you, 8 games a day, $2,000 per point.”

Despite forfeiting the game to Niemann, Dubov nearly advanced to the knockout stage, finishing with 9.5/11 points—equal to the top eight players—but was edged out due to tiebreak criteria stemming from his missed match.

The controversy was further fueled by Carlsen, who suggested that Dubov’s absence may have been deliberate to ‘prove a point.’ This comes after Carlsen previously accused Niemann of cheating in 2022, a claim he later retracted following a $100 million defamation lawsuit from Niemann.

The chess world is now eagerly awaiting the resolution of this latest chapter in the ongoing saga of cheating allegations and challenges among top players.