Hans Niemann, the chess player who became famous about a month ago after defeating world champion Magnus Carlsen, filed a defamation lawsuit for at least 100 million dollars against Carlsen who accused him of cheating in their game. Nieman is also suing the international website Chess.com, for publishing a report stating that he apparently cheated in more than 100 online games. Nieman is barred from competing in online competitions on the site or in physical competitions sponsored by Chess.com.
● The chess world is in chaos after a player is suspected of fraudulently defeating the world champion
● Report: American chess grandmaster “probably cheated” more than 100 times
● The question that stirs up the chess world: how do you even cheat in the game?
Nieman claims that the champion Carlsen and the chess competition site worked together to destroy his reputation and damage his livelihood. The lawyers representing Carlsen and Chess.com rejected the claims outright.
This is a scandal that has been shaking the chess world for over a month, after Carlsen was defeated by Niemann in a prestigious competition in St. Louis in the USA, he withdrew from the event and did not publicly comment on the act except for a tweet he posted on Twitter that hinted at Niemann’s cheating. A few days after the incident, Carlsen and Niemann met again for a game Returning in an online event in front of cameras, the world champion retired live after two moves by Nieman.The move was dramatic and made the allegations of Nieman’s cheating especially tangible.
Chess player Hans Niemann / Photo: Reuters, Quentin Bassetti
Nieman, just 19 years old, has repeatedly denied cheating Carlsen or anyone else in an in-person game, though he has admitted that on two previous occasions he asked for illegal help in games played online. He said that those times were mistakes he made at the beginning of his career as a non-professional player.
Carlsen is not the only one who has accused Niemann of cheating and the allegations against him have surfaced among chess experts and other prominent players on Twitter and in YouTube videos analyzing his moves. “I think Magnus believes that Hans is probably cheating,” said Hikaru Nakamura, an American all-rounder ranked No. 6 in the world, in response to the first match with Niemann. Nakamura was also sued by Nieman for false claims and defamation because he repeated the cheating claim several times on live broadcasts on the Chess.com website.
Defamation or a history of cheating?
In the lawsuit, Niemann accuses the world chess champion of starting a defamation campaign against him through his online company “Play Magnus” and with the help of Chess.com who agreed to buy his website. Nieman wants to receive compensation to “recover from the devastating damages that the defendants caused to his reputation, his career and his life, by grossly defaming him and illegally adding him to blacklists that prevent him from practicing the profession to which he has dedicated his life.”
Magnus Carlson’s lawyers claim that “Hans Niemann has admitted that he has a history of cheating, and the claim that it is not is nothing more than an attempt to shift the blame to others.” Chess.com’s lawyers also rejected the claims and stated that the company “looks forward to correcting the issues for the sake of the site’s staff and all honest and reliable chess players.”
However, neither Carlsen nor the chess website was able to present conclusive evidence of Niemann’s cheating. A more than 70-page investigative report published by Chess.com indicates that Niman apparently cheated in more than 100 online games, including some with a cash prize. An analysis of the site compared his moves to the moves offered by computers running artificial intelligence software in order to win games.
Nieman admitted in the past that he cheated in games on the Chess.com website, but in unofficial settings and when he was 12 and then again at the age of 16. He emphasized that he never cheated in official games. He also claims that his blocking from all the competitions run by Chess.com was done under significant pressure from Magnus Carlsen, whose site was purchased by Chess.com for 83 million dollars.
“Carlsen, who established his position as the ‘King of Chess,’ believes that when it comes to chess, he can do whatever he wants and get away with it,” the lawsuit states.