Chess world is rocked by ANOTHER scandal as platform Chess.com cuts ties with St Louis club for ‘ignoring sexual misconduct allegations against top grandmaster’
- Chess.com has cut ties with the prestigious St Louis club over its handling of allegations made against grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez
- In February, U.S. women’s champion Jen Shahade said Ramirez sexaully assaulted her twice and that her allegations were ignored by the club
- Several other women, including three who were under 18 at the time of the alleged incidents, also came forward
The chess world is facing a #MeToo reckoning as Chess.com cuts ties with the prestigious St Louis club for allegedly mishandling sexual misconduct allegations.
The move comes after U.S. women’s champion Jen Shahade in February accused grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez of sexually assaulting her twice and St Louis Chess Club and U.S. Chess of leaving her allegations unaddressed for years.
Now, the influential site, with more than 100 million members, has said it will no longer provide support for, or coverage of, any St Louis Chess Club events.
‘We are disappointed by how the leadership at the U.S. Chess Federation has handled this entire situation and hope to see improvements in transparency and action,’ Chess.com chief chess officer Danny Rensch told The Wall Street Journal.
Chess.com’s decision comes after Lichess.org, a non-profit chess server used to host events, said last week that it would no longer cooperate with both the St. Louis Chess Club and the U.S. Chess Federation ‘due to serious concerns about their lack of accountability.’
Several women made allegations against grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez, including three who were under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged incidents
U.S. women’s champion Jen Shahade in February accused grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez of sexually assaulting her twice
‘Women and girls in chess already face an uphill battle. They deserve a safe and supportive environment,’ Lichess wrote on its website.
‘But too often, they encounter abuse, harassment or worse. And too often, they feel powerless to report it or seek justice. It’s time to help break the silence.’
A spokesman for U.S. Chess said in a statement it is committed to protecting the safety of its members and ‘will remain vigilant in identifying and adopting additional best practices’.
Jen Shahade’s Twitter thread led to several other women coming forward with allegations against Ramirez, including three who were under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged incidents.
The women alleged the grandmaster used his power and status to make repeated unwanted sexual advances toward them and that he became physically aggressive.
A lawyer for Ramirez said at the time he ‘remains very supportive of those who seek to raise issues of concern about anyone.’
U.S. Chess and the St. Louis Chess Club had not addressed these and other allegations when they first heard of them, including the abuse of a 15-year-old, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Eventually St. Louis Chess Club said it had accepted Ramirez’s resignation, and in May he was banned by U.S. Chess.
Chess.com chief chess officer Danny Rensch said: ‘We are disappointed by how the leadership at the US Chess Federation has handled this entire situation’
Speculation has grown online that San Francisco-born Hans Niemann (pictured), a relative newcomer to the sport, inserted wireless anal beads into his body before his victorious match against World No. 1 grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, 31
Magnus Carlsen, 31, walked out of the $500,000 Sinquefield Cup after he was beaten in the third round, prompting online speculation that he suspected foul play
However, the response appeared to come too late and all four women on the U.S. Chess Accessibility and Special Circumstances Committee resigned in a call for more protection for female players.
‘So far, we haven’t seen any meaningful indication that our suggestions to US Chess to remedy sexual assault within its ranks will be seriously considered,’ independent arbiter Judit Sztaray, who resigned, wrote on social media.
The chess world endured one of its most high profile scandals last year when an American chess grandmaster was accused of cheating using anal beads.
Hans Niemann, 19, was accused of cheating by world champion Magnus Carlsen last September after the teen managed to beat the Norwegian – widely considered to be the world’s best chess player – seemingly without concentrating.
Chess fans speculated that an accomplice watching the match at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis used a chess program to determine the perfect move, and then sent encoded instructions via the vibrating sex toy.
Carlsen withdrew from the tournament and a later Chess.com report found that Niemann has likely cheated in over 100 online games.
Niemann virulently denied Carlsen’s accusations, saying that he cheated only twice in his life – at the age of 12 and 16 – and that both infractions were some of the greatest regrets of his life.
‘Other than when I was 12 years old, I have never, ever, ever – and I would never do that, that is the worst thing that I could ever do – cheat in a tournament with prize money,’ Niemann said afterwards.
‘Never when I was streaming did I cheat.’
‘Keep in mind I was 16 years old, I never wanted to hurt anyone, these were random games. I would never – could even fathom doing it – in a real game.’
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