Chess Player Hans Niemann Files $100 Million Defamation Suit Against Magnus Carlsen & Others Over Cheating Accusations

Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann, 19, is suing Norwegian chess champ Magnus Carlsen, as well as the American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura and the chief officer of Chess.com Daniel Rensch, for defamation over accusing him of cheating in chess matches.

Carlsen has publicly accused Niemann of cheating after Niemann beat him at the Sinquefield tournament in Missouri on September 4. Carlsen infamously resigned from a match with Niemann after playing only one move weeks after the loss, then brought the cheating accusations following that.

The lawsuit is attempting to characterize Carlsen as vindictive against Niemann after his first defeat. The suit said that Carlsen was “Enraged that the young Niemann, 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.”

While Niemann admitted to cheating in just one or two online games, Chess.com published a report alleging that it could have been in the 100s.

Niemann’s defense has maintained that he never cheated in an OTB (over-the-board) game, and his lawsuit characterized Carlsen’s accusations and the Chess.com report as “unlawfully colluding to ban him from the profession to which he has dedicated his life.”

Chess.com banned Niemann from their site the day after Carlsen went public with his allegations. The lawsuit also points to Chess.com’s upcoming $83 million acquisition of Carslen’s company Play Magnus as evidence that Carlsen may have pressured the site into this action.

Nakamura, a popular streamer in the chess world, was mentioned in the lawsuit for making videos discussing the allegations which they said were “amplifying and and attempting to bolster Carlsen’s false cheating allegations.” It was also suggested that Nakamura was acting in collusion with Chess.com because he is one of the most-followed players on the site.

They claimed that Nakamura pursued the cheating story because of a past “acrimonious” relationship with Niemann on Chess.com, and even suggested Nakamura has “a well-documented history of abusing his leverage with Chess.com to blacklist competitors, accuse players of cheating, and damage the careers of up-and-coming chess players.”

The lawsuit has also claimed that Niemann has been losing opportunities including struggling to find work teaching at a chess school, has been banned from tournaments, and had games with prominent players like Vincent Keymer cancelled due to the accusations.

So far, Chess.com is the only defendant that has responded through its lawyers saying in part, “There is no merit to Hans’ allegations, and Chess.com looks forward to setting the record straight on behalf of its team and all honest chess players.”

In lieu of a full announcement, Niemann took to Twitter, writing, “My lawsuit speaks for itself,” along with a link to the suit in full, filed in the U.S. District Court of East Missouri. He is seeking $100 million in damages for slander, libel, unlawful group boycott, interference with contract and business expectancies and civil conspiracy.