Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: World No. 2 American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has hit out at FIDE, the world chess governing body, over what he sees as excessive anti-cheating measures at the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Cyprus. Opening his fourth Candidates with a loss to fellow American Fabiano Caruana, Nakamura took to his YouTube channel with Norwegian GM Jon Ludvig Hammer and Luxembourg’s WIM Fiona Steil-Antoni to vent his frustration.“My general view about the whole topic of delay, cheating over-the-board, and all this stuff is that I frankly think it’s nonsense,” Nakamura said. “Considering the amount of machines they have to scan the players in the room, it’s all complete nonsense. I really do.”
The chess star criticised the security measures, jokingly questioning the level of scrutiny. “It’s not that I have any problems with it. I just think that the fears some players have expressed are completely overblown. I’m just going to be honest… They scan us before the game. They scan us after the game. They have the metal detector. They have a variety of other separate scanners. I mean, who are we? Are we like Mossad agents inside Iran or something? Come on, we’re chess players! Let’s be real,” he said.When asked if he had raised his concerns with FIDE, Nakamura admitted he hadn’t. “FIDE? No, of course, I haven’t voiced this opinion to FIDE. I don’t really see a reason to. When I look at FIDE or the things being done, I really have no point in arguing with them or saying anything,” he remarked.“My general view is that it’s all overblown. At a smaller open tournament where you don’t have all these scanners and equipment, I can understand the concerns. But at an event like this, where everybody is in a room, there are arbiters watching everyone, and cameras on everyone… I mean, without inside help, nothing can happen. I just think it’s all nonsense.”ALSO READ: ‘We saw tanks on the road’: How playing chess amid regional conflict feelsNakamura has started the tournament with 1.5 points from four rounds, sharing results with Anish Giri, Andrey Esipenko, and Wei Yi after his opening defeat. The pack is currently led by Javokhir Sindarov, who has already racked up three wins in four rounds.
