Overview
- Hikaru Nakamura, speaking Thursday on his YouTube channel during the Cyprus Candidates, called the event’s scans and metal detectors “complete nonsense” and joked about players being treated like “Mossad agents in Iran.”
- He argued that with all players in one room under arbiters and cameras, over-the-board cheating is nearly impossible without inside help.
- He said he has not taken the complaint to FIDE, with no formal response or changes to the event’s screening reported so far.
- Hours after the remarks, Hans Niemann replied on X that Nakamura has often accused others without firm evidence and called his pushback against stricter checks inconsistent.
- The Candidates decides who challenges world champion D Gukesh, and concerns around security and safety have shaped the backdrop, including Koneru Humpy’s withdrawal from the women’s field.