Sport

Hans Niemann sues Magnus Carlsen and Chess.com for $100 million over cheating claims

Allegations claim chess grandmaster has been robbed of appearance fees and competition money

US international grandmaster Hans Niemann. Photograph: Tim Vizer/AFP via Getty
US international grandmaster Hans Niemann. Photograph: Tim Vizer/AFP via Getty
Hugo Miller
Fri Oct 21 2022 - 12:00

American teenage chess grandmaster Hans Niemann sued the game’s world champion Magnus Carlsen and the leading online platform Chess.com, accusing them and others of slander by making baseless accusations he’s a cheat.

Those allegations have robbed Niemann of appearance fees, competition prize money and also online chess streaming revenue, his lawyers argued in the October 20th US complaint that seeks $100 million in damages.

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Magnus Carlsen was beaten by Niemann at an event in St Louis, Missouri in September, robbing the world champion of a top performance rating and breaking his unbeaten streak, the lawyers said. An embittered Carlsen then “viciously and maliciously retaliated and accused Niemann of cheating at the event “without any evidence, they argued.

Niemann has previously admitted to cheating when he was 12 and 16 by using a computer to help him win online chess games. However, he has denied ever using aids to help win over-the-board games.

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The lawsuit is the latest bombshell in a dispute that has already rocked the world of chess, generating headlines the sport hasn’t seen since the epic battles featuring Bobby Fischer, Boris Spassky and Garry Kasparov. Niemann’s lawyers acknowledged as much that in their 44-page complaint.

“Carlsen’s unprecedented actions, coupled with his unfounded accusations, sent shock waves through the chess world and instantly thrust Niemann into the centre of what is now widely reported as the single biggest chess scandal in history, they wrote.

Niemann’s lawyers also invoked the Sherman Antitrust Act in the complaint, arguing that Carlsen, his own company Play Magnus and chess.com acted together to blacklist Niemann and bar him from competition.

Email messages left with Play Magnus and chess.com were not immediately returned.

With the $83 million purchase of Play Magnus by Chess.com in August 2022, “Carlsen, having solidified 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 lawyers wrote.