"It’s match-fixing" - Ian Nepomniachtchi and Daniil Dubov under fire once again for drawing at Chess.com's Titled Tuesday event

Russian Grandmasters Ian Nepomniachtchi and Daniil Dubov are again under scrutiny after participating in another alleged "pre-arranged" draw during the recent Titled Tuesday on Chess.com. For those unfamiliar with Titled Tuesdays, it is Chess.com's weekly 11-round online Blitz tournament, offering a $1000 prize for the winner each week.

In the final week of December 2023, Ian and Daniil engaged in a similar troll-worthy draw, leading to FIDE penalties and criticism from the chess community. Reacting to the duo's latest stunt, one fan said:

"Is it funny though? It’s match-fixing and if the ruling body were a serious sporting one the two players would be severely punished. Chess is being made a mockery of here and it tarnishes the integrity of the game."

Russian Grandmasters under fire once again (Image via X/GothamChess)

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What did Ian Nepomniachtchi and Daniil Dubov do in their Titled Tuesday match?

The World Blitz Chess Championship 2023, held in December 2023, witnessed an unusual occurrence as two formidable GMs, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Daniil Dubov, played out a 12-move draw. Surprisingly, both players only moved their knights before eventually returning the pieces to their home squares.

This incident was promptly identified as a pre-arrangement by the arbiters. As a consequence, points were deducted from both players. Subsequently, Ian publicly acknowledged his behavior and issued an apology for his conduct in the matter.

On January 9, 2024, during the latest Titled Tuesday event hosted by Chess.com, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Daniil Dubov decided to recreate the same 12-move draw, wherein they moved only their knights before mutually agreeing to a draw.

This repetition of the draw strategy by the Grandmasters has once again sparked attention within the chess community. YouTuber and Twitch streamer Levy "GothamChess" shared the GIF image of the complete match. Watch it here:

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What did the Chess community say?

As mentioned earlier, the chess community did not appreciate the draw executed by the two Grandmasters. While it may have been intended as a troll, many perceive it as unfunny. Here are some of the notable reactions:

Fans react to the so-called pre-arranged draw (Image via X/GothamChess)

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The chess community has recently been plagued by several controversies. Notably, Russian Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik publicly called out Chess.com, urging an investigation into the matches of GM Hikaru and some young players. However, Chess.com has deemed these accusations as unsportsmanlike and found them to be baseless.