The world champion caused a wave of shock when he withdrew for the second time in two weeks, protesting the alleged cheating.
Carlsen has yet to directly accuse Niemann of anything and the chess world is waiting for his next move. However, skipping his Round 6 game in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour event, he scored three points to Niemann, according to a statement from the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2022.
After a rough day on the board in which he picked up only one more point, the American teenager is two points behind Carlsen and still has a chance to make the knockouts.
Indian youngster Arjun Arigasi, who led the tournament in the middle of the preliminary stage, is leading with 17 points out of a possible 24.
Two points behind him are Carlsen and 17-year-old Indian R. Pragnananda, while Ukraine’s veteran Vasil Ivanchuk and Poland’s World Cup winner Jan-Krzysztof Duda are on equal footing with Niemann.
In the final round of the day, Carlsen and Prague played a titanic fight that ended in a draw and the champions praised the youngster for his positive attitude.
Speculation has swirled around Carlsen and Niemann on the star-studded seventh leg of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The pair will no longer face each other until both make it to the knockouts and even then they can avoid each other. The chess world will be on tenterhooks to see if that happens.
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