New Delhi: World No. 2 American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has criticized the world chess body FIDE for what he sees as excessive anti-cheating measures at the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Cyprus. Kicking off his fourth qualifier with a loss to fellow American Fabiano Caruana, Nakamura took to his YouTube channel along with Norwegian GM Jon Ludwig Hammer and Luxembourg’s WIM Fiona Steele-Antoni to vent his frustration.“My general view of the delay, the over-the-board fraud, and all of that stuff is that I frankly think it’s bullshit,” Nakamura said. “Considering the amount of machines in the room to scan players, it’s all complete nonsense. I really do.”
The chess star criticized the security measures and jokingly questioned the level of vetting. “Not that I have a problem with that. I just think the fear that some of the players have expressed is completely overblown. I’ll just be honest… they scan us before the game, they scan us after the game, they have metal detectors, they have different types of separate scanners. I mean, who are we? Are we like Mossad agents, operating inside Iran, or are we something real?” he said.When asked if he had raised his concerns with FIDE, Nakamura admitted that he had not. “FIDE? No, of course, I haven’t given that opinion to FIDE. I really don’t see any reason to. When I look at FIDE or the things that are happening, I have no interest in arguing with them or saying anything,” he remarked.“My general feeling is that it’s all too much. In a small open tournament where you don’t have all these scanners and equipment, I can understand the concerns. But in an event like this, where everybody’s in one room, there’s moderators watching everybody, and there’s cameras on everybody… I mean, without inside help, nothing can happen. I think it’s all nonsense.”Also read: ‘We saw tanks on the road’: What it feels like to play chess in the midst of territorial disputes.Nakamura opened the tournament with 1.5 points from four rounds, sharing the results with Anish Gray, Andre Espinko, and Wei Yi after his opening loss. The pack is currently led by Javakhir Sandroof, who has already secured three victories in four rounds.
