In the most strange twist seen in a game of chess, a teenage grandmaster has been forced to shut down rumours he used a sex toy to help him win.
Hans Niemann, 19, is an up-and-coming chess star who was accused online of using anal beads connected to a computer programme that would vibrate and give him the perfect move to defeat world No. 1 grandmaster, Magnus Carlsen.
The Evening Standard reports Niemann was forced to hit back at the rumours circulating online.
"If they want me to strip fully naked, I will do it," he said.
"You want me to play in a closed box with zero electronic transmission, I don't care. I'm here to win and that is my goal regardless."
It comes after Elon Musk deleted a tweet of an influencer discussing the rumour. He adapted a version of a quote by philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, tweeting: "Talent hits a target no one else can hit, genius hits a target no one can see (cause it's in ur butt)."
The 19-year-old beat the world champion in the US$500,000 (NZ$833,300) Sinquefield Cup earlier this month, ending Carlsen's 53-game winning streak.
The day after his loss, Carlsen withdrew from the chess tournament, shocking the chess world.
