Quote:
Originally Posted by Slava
Right, so while there are all kinds of red flags they don't want to conclude there is cheating. It's not a great look for Niemann though. He was found to have cheated quite reliably, and often. He has made a meteoric rise which has never been seen in history.
I do agree that people should be given a lot of leeway from who they were/are as teenagers. I'm pretty sure that if I met 14-22 year old Slava today I wouldn't have a lot of time for him! So, I get what you're saying. But there's also an element of a track record here.
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He cheated lots online, that is an undeniable fact. But chess.com has not found further evidence of cheating in two years, no?
Maybe I am optomistic or sympathetic, but age in addition to time without cheating does give him some benefit of the doubt.
If FIDE finds evidence that he cheated over the board then the case is closed. Otherwise i think that young people deserve a chance at redemption.
This is a person who has spent every waking moment trying to get better at chess since he was 10 years old. Being labled a cheater would ruin his life as it stands now. Moving forward carefully and with full evidence is important. If he is actively cheating then shame on him and he will suffer, but he is innocent until proven guilty. Suspension is not enough.