3 min readApr 2, 2026 02:57 PM IST
World No. 2 and the highest-rated American Grandmaster, Hikaru Nakamura, has expressed his displeasure with FIDE, the world chess governing body, over what he calls excessive anti-cheating measures at the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Cyprus.
Speaking on his YouTube channel alongside Norwegian GM Jon Ludvig Hammer and Luxembourg’s WIM Fiona Steil-Antoni, Nakamura vented his frustration, calling the entire process of excessive checking “complete nonsense.”
“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 highest-rated player at the World Championship challenger event, taking place on the small Mediterranean island of Cyprus, Nakamura took a dig at FIDE by sarcastically asking if the players were Mossad agents in Iran.
“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 continued.
When asked if he had raised his concerns with FIDE, Nakamura said he had not. “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.”
“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,” he concluded.
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Nakamura opened his campaign in what is his fourth Candidates with a loss to compatriot Fabiano Caruana in the opening round. He then shared spoils with Anish Giri, Andrey Esipenko and Wei Yi to sit with 1.5 points from four rounds.
