World chess champion Magnus Carlsen came in for flak from social media users after he accused US prodigy Hans Niemann of cheating.
While some claimed that he was trying to "destroy" a young player's career, others asked him to "shut up" unless he supplied evidence to back his allegations up.
"If you have evidence that he cheated, you should present that evidence. You are destroying this kid's career based on nothing other than shady insinuations that you won't back up. The only evidence you offer is flimsy conjecture. Either prove he's cheating, or apologize," one chess admirer said on social media.
"I love Magnus, truly I do, but I won’t take your side because you have a suspicion. Put up evidence or shut up," another added.
His criticism on Twitter came after Carlsen alleged that Niemann is a habitual cheater and his victory over him in the Sinquefield Cup was achieved through unfair means.
"I believe that Niemann has cheated more—and more recently—than he has publicly admitted. His over-the-board progress has been unusual, and throughout our game in the Sinquefield Cup I had the impression that he wasn't tense or even fully [concentrating] on the game in critical positions, while outplaying me as black in a way I think only a handful of players can do," Carlsen said in a statement on Twitter.
In the past, Carlsen has taken multiple digs at Niemann, often indirectly making accusations against him.
Niemann, on the other hand, has dismissed the allegations of cheating. Instead, the 19-year-old made a counter-claim, accusing Carlsen of conspiring to destroy his chess career.
This bitter episode of animosity between the two players began a couple of weeks ago when Carlsen suffered a shock loss to Niemann at the Sinquefield Cup in what was their first-ever encounter at a FIDE event.
But the drama didn't stop there, as instead of taking on other opponents in the competition, Carlsen pulled out and even indicated foul play in his defeat to the young American.
Since, Carlsen has refused to face Niemann both in online and in-person chess competitions.