American CEO Hikaru Nakamura blasted FIDE NEW DELHI: US No. 2 grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has hit out at FIDE, the world chess governing body, over what he says are inadequate anti-cheating measures at the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Cyprus. Nakamura opened his fourth qualifiers with a loss to fellow American Fabian Caruana and vented his frustrations on his YouTube channel with Norwegian GM Jon Ludvig Hammer and Luxembourg’s WIM Fiona Steil-Antoni.“My general opinion on the whole subject of delays, cheating overboard and all that stuff is that I honestly think it’s nonsense,” Nakamura said. “With the number of machines that have to scan the players in the room, it’s all complete nonsense. It really is.”
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Exclusive Nihal Sarin: 2026 Candidates Predictions, Anish Giri’s ‘Drawish’ Label & More #chess The chess star criticized the security measures and jokingly questioned the level of control. “It’s not that I have any issues with that. I just think the concerns that some of the players have expressed are completely overblown. I’ll be honest… They scan us before the game. They scan us after the game. They have a metal detector. They have a bunch of other separate scanners. I mean, who are we? Are we real like Mossad agents in Iran or something?” Come on, we’re players.Asked if he had communicated his concerns to FIDE, Nakamura admitted that he had not. “FIDE? No, of course, I didn’t express that opinion to FIDE. I really don’t see a reason to. When I look at FIDE or the things that are being done, there’s really no point in arguing with them or saying anything,” he commented.“My general opinion is that it’s all overkill. At a smaller open tournament where you don’t have all these scanners and equipment, I understand the concern. But at an event like this, where everyone is in the room, there are referees watching everyone and cameras on everyone… I mean, without inside help, nothing can happen. I just think it’s all nonsense.”READ ALSO: ‘We saw tanks on the road’: How it feels to play chess in the middle of a regional conflictNakamura started the tournament with 1.5 points from four rounds and was tied with Anish Giri, Andrey Esipenko and Wei Yi after the opening defeat. The pack is currently led by Javokhir Sindarov, who already has three wins in four rounds.
