American Chess Grandmaster Hans Niemann files lawsuit against Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Chess.com

American chess grandmaster and Twitch streamer Hans Niemann has filed a defamation lawsuit against Magnus Carlsen, who's the best player in the world, GM and Twitch streamer Hikaru Nakamura, as well as Chess.com.

Niemann is suing for $100 million in damages after reportedly being accused of cheating by Carlsen. The former ended the Norwegian grandmaster's win streak. Subsequently, the American player confessed to playing unfairly in online matches on Chess.com but claimed that he had only been unethical a handful of times. Hans also stated he'd never used unfair means in an in-person game.

These comments of his came after people were suspicious that he might have used unfair means to defeat Carlsen. Now, with the involvement of a lawsuit, the situation has escalated greatly.

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Hans Niemann files $100 million defamation lawsuit

On September 4, in Round 3 of the Sinquefield Cup, the 19-year-old chess grandmaster defeated Magnus Carlsen, snapping the Norwegian's 53-match unbeaten streak. Consequently, the best in the world decided to withdraw from the tournament after the loss, posting a tweet suggesting that Niemann had cheated over the board.

Following Carlsen's withdrawal, anti-cheating measures were increased at the Sinquefield Cup, and Niemann failed to win another match, further fueling speculation. Fellow grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura publicly accused him of cheating in online tournament matches hosted on Chess.com. In response, he stated he had never cheated over the board, claiming his win over Carlsen to be legitimate.

Days later, Chess.com made the decision to suspend Hans Niemann. Daniel Rensch, the site's Chief Chess Officer, made a statement on Twitter confirming that the 19-year-old would be suspended indefinitely, pending an investigation of his past cheating.

Nearly a month later, Chess.com released an official report alleging that Niemann cheated in more matches than he'd initially admitted. It was estimated that the total number of games where he'd used unfair tactics was around one hundred. However, the grandmaster maintains that he has never cheated in person.

Although his history of online cheating leaves plenty of room for skepticism, some key experts agree that Niemann did not use unfair tactics in his match with Carlsen, including leading anti-cheating expert Ken Regan. Regan analyzed all of Hans Niemann's games dating back to 2020, including the one in question against Carlsen, and came to the conclusion that he was clean.

A week after the Sinquefield Cup, Niemann and Carlsen were slated to face each other again in an online tournament. However, the latter withdrew in protest after the first move. He later made an official statement on Twitter, explaining his decision and publicly accusing Niemann of cheating. In his post, he said:

"I believe that Niemann has cheated more - and more recently - than he has publicly admitted."

Following these developments, Hans Niemann has filed a defamation lawsuit against Chess.com, Carlsen, and Nakamura, seeking a total of $100 million. He claims that the allegations have ruined his chess career and his life. The 19-year-old has said that he is no longer allowed to compete in many top chess tournaments.

Despite Hans Niemann's claims, as well as Chess.com's assertion that the allegations in the suit have "no merit," everything will now be settled by the United States legal system.