Playing Black to Win: The Dark Underbelly of the Chess World

Sometimes chess players do bad things to get ahead. Whether motivated by money, power, fame, or simply pleasure, this article tells the tale of two such men who have (allegedly) stepped over the line in pursuit of their goals.

Alejandro Ramirez Sexual Assault Allegations

34-year-old Costa Rican-American Grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez is under investigation for sexual misconduct by US Chess and the Saint Louis Chess Club. On 15th February WGM Jennifer Shahade posted a tweet claiming that Ramirez had assaulted her twice, and that other victims had come forward to her with “alarming evidence”.

Shahade is well known in the chess world, having won the United States Women’s Championship twice, as well as being a prolific, top-level commentator for the esteemed Saint Louis Chess Club, where Ramirez has been a close colleague of hers for many years. Shahade reported to Chess.com that she had formally reported her claims to the Saint Louis Chess Club in addition to US Chess in the autumn of 2022, the two organisations consequently opening independent investigations into the matter, which are currently still ongoing. She accused Ramirez publicly with the following statement on twitter:

Time’s up. pic.twitter.com/ItOv73lTX7
— Jennifer Shahade (@JenShahade) February 15, 2023

Currently there are multiple investigations underway on Alejandro Ramirez and sexual misconduct, including a series of alleged incidents involving a minor. I was assaulted by him twice, 9 and 10 years ago. I’d moved on until the past couple years, when multiple women, independent of each other and with no knowledge of my own experience, approached me with their own stories of alleged abuse. These accounts were from much younger alleged victims. I saw alarming evidence, including texts that admitted abuse of a minor while he was coaching her, as well as a text to an alleged victim about being an underage “temptress.”

The road to investigation and potential consequences has been a very stressful process. You may have noticed I’ve taken a major step back from commentary as this plays out. I’ve filled the time with poker, writing, and promoting girls in chess. And yet a lot of that work to make chess more inclusive is futile if we cannot make crystal clear that the safety of women, girls, and children is of the highest priority. And that’s why I’m speaking out now. Thanks for your support and patience for more details.

Shahade also added the following statements to her public announcements:

It’s not something I take lightly, but I’ve seen alarming evidence, and kids, girls, and women who may interact with him deserve to know as soon as possible, as do their parents or friends. Also, this may bring more evidence to light to speed things up. This is a broader problem in chess. Silence helps abusers and enablers.

She admitted that she had made the personal choice to move on a decade ago, but after a student had been in danger, she felt it necessary to bring the accusations to light:

Once an underage girl and student of his at the time of attack confided in me, I felt ethically compelled to bring my own experiences to light to add credibility to their accounts.

Alejandro Ramirez reportedly delivered the following statement to Chess.com:

Although I cannot comment on the specifics of Ms. Shahade’s assertions due to pending investigations by the US Chess Federation and the St. Louis Chess Club, I understand the concern raised by the allegations levied against me. I am fully cooperating with both inquiries and look forward to the opportunity to respond to these charges and share my side of the story.

US Chess and the Saint Louis Chess Club have both opted to provide statements to the public, addressing the allegations, yet providing little context to their pending investigations.

US Chess has published the following official statement:

US Chess is aware that one of its employees has made serious allegations about a member of the chess community. US Chess will not comment on the status of any internal complaint.

The Saint Louis Chess Club reportedly delivered their own statement to Chess.com:

The St. Louis Chess Club is aware of Ms. Shahade’s social media post regarding Mr. Ramirez. The Club cannot comment further at this time as this concerns Club personnel, other than to say the Club is aware of the allegations and is reviewing the matter.

The Saint Louis Arch Bishops also removed GM Alejandro Ramirez from their roster following the allegations.

Since Shahade’s tweet, five people have reached out to her with stories of their own regarding alleged misconduct by Ramirez. Others have also taken to social media in response and/or support of Shahade’s claims, including her brother, IM Greg Shahade, as well as NM Misha Vilenchuk.

IM Greg Shahade tweeted the following in response to Jennifer Shahade:

Have known about this for years, have seen some of the texts in question and have informed various authorities. It has been so frustrating how little has been done up to now. https://t.co/TTRoOqXOPM
— Greg Shahade (@GregShahade) February 15, 2023

Have known about this for years, have seen some of the texts in question and have informed various authorities. It has been so frustrating how little has been done up to now.

NM Misha Vilenchuk tweeted the following in response to Jennifer Shahade:

I hate to say this, but I was aware of this back in 2010-2012. He was grabbing underaged girls, dm'ing them, at chess camps and bought a friend's earings. I can ask them if they want to be more sources if you'd need.

I just didn't know better in 2011.
— Misha Vilenchuk (@Shishkana) February 15, 2023

I hate to say this, but I was aware of this back in 2010-2012. He was grabbing underaged girls, dm’ing them, at chess camps and bought a friend’s earings. I can ask them if they want to be more sources if you’d need.

We will be following this story closely and will provide updates as things unfold…

Hans ‘Anal Beads’ Niemann

Promising chess prodigy and rising American star 19-year-old GM Hans Niemann brought on one of the largest controversies ever known to chess, when he was accused of cheating by World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen in September 2022.

The controversy was sparked in the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, when Hans Niemann surprisingly beat Carlsen in their matchup. Carlsen subsequently withdrew from the tournament, without further statement, which most viewed as a discreet way of accusing Niemann of cheating. Niemann, in an interview, admitted to cheating online twice when he was 12 and 16 years of age, but denied ever cheating in an in-person tournament. Suspicions had already arisen due to the junior’s rapid climb up the rankings and into the top 50 chess players in the world, and Carlsen’s withdrawal from the Sinquefield Cup, a very prestigious tournament, directly after losing to Niemann, only served to confirm them.

Following is the score to the controversial game:

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2372960

With security ramped up at the venue and thorough metal detection scans performed on all the players, especially Niemann, many theories were floated online about how Niemann would have possibly been able to cheat under such strict security measures. One such theory was that Niemann had an electronic device, an anal bead, inserted up his anus, which could then send him vibrations during the game, communicating to him which moves to play over the board.

Carlsen eventually released a statement in which he condemned Niemann’s actions, and stated that he believed that along with earlier suspicions and Niemann’s recent behaviour, that Niemann had cheated more often and more recently than he had let on or admitted, and that Niemann was someone with whom Carlsen did not want to play chess.

FIDE launched an official investigation into the matter, which is still ongoing.

Chess.com removed Niemann from their site following Carlsen’s actions and launched an internal investigation into Niemann’s online play on Chess.com to review whether or not he had been cheating. The site found that Niemann had probably cheated in over 100 online games, and as recently as 2020, including in tournaments involving prize money.

In October 2022 Niemann filed a lawsuit against Chess.com, Daniel Rensch (Chief Chess Officer of Chess.com), GM Hikara Nakamura (another Grandmaster who accused Niemann of cheating on his stream), and Magnus Carlsen and his company Play Magnus Group, for unlawful collusion and defamation. This lawsuit complained that the Chess.com report outlined a more extensive and false history of Niemann’s cheating, and was part of a larger conspiracy to defame him.