Topline
A 19-year-old American chess grandmaster whom Chess World Champion Magnus Carlsen accused of cheating last month filed a defamation lawsuit in federal court Thursday against the world No. 1 player and others that made cheating allegations, seeking at least $100 million in damages in response to the growing scandal.
U.S. grandmaster Hans Niemann waits his turn to move during a second-round chess game against … [+]
Key Facts
Chess.com, along with website executive Daniel Rensch and Chess.com streaming partner Hikaru Nakamura, were also named as defendants in the suit brought by grandmaster Hans Niemann.
The suit claims Carlsen—the five-time reigning world champion and highest-ranked player in chess history—became unhinged after losing to Niemann at a chess tournament in St. Louis last month, and conspired with the other defendants to smear Niemann’s reputation.
The lawsuit alleges financial motivation was a factor for Carlsen in addition to personal embarrassment, pointing to an $83 million deal announced in August for Chess.com to purchase Carlsen’s “Play Magnus” app.
Carlsen, 31, resigned from a rematch against Niemann on September 19 after making just one move, and released a statement one week later directly accusing Niemann of cheating in recent matches.
A report from Chess.com this month found Niemann “likely cheated” more than 100 times in online chess matches, though the grandmaster has only publicly acknowledged cheating on a handful of occasions as a young teen.
Attorneys for Chess.com said in a statement the company “looks forward to setting the record straight on behalf of its team and all honest chess players,” while a representative for Carlsen did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Crucial Quote
“Enraged that the young Niemann, fully 12 years his junior, dared to disrespect the ‘King of Chess,’ and fearful that the young prodigy would further blemish his multi-million dollar brand by beating him again, Carlsen viciously and maliciously retaliated against Niemann by falsely accusing Niemann, without any evidence, of somehow cheating during their in-person game,” the lawsuit says.
Key Background
Carlsen, who is Norwegian, said in his statement last month that Niemann—the lowest-ranked player at the St. Louis tournament—”wasn’t tense or even fully concentrating on the game” during critical points in their match, adding the teenager was outplaying him “in a way only a handful of players can do.” Carlsen did not suggest what cheating method he thought Niemann may have used in the match. The Chess.com report noted Niemann made suspicious moves during online matches, which occurred at the same time new screens were opened during his computer, indicating he may have been using a “chess engine,” or a computer program that recommends moves and can often outplay even the best human players. Niemann said in the suit that he relies on playing chess to support himself financially but now has difficulty finding matches. He was banned from Chess.com—by far the largest online chess community—in 2020 after privately admitting to cheating in games where money was on the line, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Further Reading
Grandmaster At Center Of Chess World Scandal Likely Cheated More Than 100 Times, Investigation Finds (Forbes)
World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen Accuses Hans Niemann Of Cheating (Forbes)
Nicholas Reimann, Forbes Staff
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