Hans Niemann, the name might only be familiar to you if you are a serious chess fan. Otherwise, if you are a daily follower of world news, the cheating scandal in chess heating the headlines may have attracted your eyes.
Niemann was nothing more than an American teen with his curly hair and exceptional talent until he beat the best chess player in the world. By now, it has surely sparked your interest to know more about Niemann. Here we go.
The Scandal: where it Started
Let’s start with the scandal itself, like how it all started and how far it has gone now.
Magnus Carlsen, the same 32-year-old Norwegian who won the grandmaster title at thirteen, lost to Niemann at the Sinquefield Cup on September 4.
“The Mozart of chess,” as Carlsen is known, didn’t take the defeat in the round-robin tournament well and accused Niemann of cheating.
As Carlsen is the best chess player in the world at present, with the highest-ever rankings in the game’s history, his loss to the nineteen-year-old shocked the chess community.
When did Hans Niemann Start Chess?
Born in San Francisco, Niemann had an addiction to chess that made him start playing the game at the age of eight only.
Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, an institution known for chess culture, was where Niemann graduated and nurtured his love for the game.
Hans Niemann chess career kickstarted in 2012 when he secured the opportunity to play at the Dutch National Youth Congress Championship.
The Remarkable Milestone in Niemann’s Career
After winning one after another prestigious tournament and breaking records in his early teens, Hans Niemann finally achieved the Grandmaster title in January 2021, at eighteen.
What Rank is Hans Niemann?
- Niemann grabbed the Grandmaster title in 2021.
- His FIDE rating, as of November 2022, is 2699.
- Niemann’s Peak rating, as of October 2022, is 2699.
- His world ranking, as of November 2022, is 40.
The Scandal: Where it Stands now
After losing to Niemann in such a prestigious tournament, Magnus Carlsen accused him of cheating publicly. Chess.com, the biggest online chess-playing platform, banned Niemann, releasing a detailed evidence report of seventy-two pages which alleged him of cheating in over a hundred previous online games as well. It even claimed that one of the young chess champion’s coaches had admitted his cheating in the games played earlier.
Niemann Filed Lawsuit
Niemann filed a lawsuit in October alleging Carlsen and Chess.com joining hands to conspire against him. He filed four allegations against the current best chess player in the world and the online chess giant, which brought Carlsen’s chess farm for $82.9 million. Niemann accused them of intentionally conspiring against him together. While the first allegation was antitrust conspiracy, the three others were tortious interference, defamation, and civil conspiracy.
He alleged their actions harmed his image and career, as a reputed chess player refused to play against him after the allegations went public. Even a tournament involving him halted due to the chaos, claimed Niemann.
The young talent directly accused Danny Rensch, the Chess.com executive, and Hikaru Nakamura, another American chess grandmaster, of spreading false cheating allegations against him. He sought $100 million as compensation for the damage he faced.
Chess.com’s Stand
Chess.com, acknowledging Niemann as a talented player, said in reply that he has himself admitted his cheating in numerous online chess games, and the allegations he brought were meritless and publicity stunt.
The online chess platform filed a motion against Niemann, stating him as “an admitted cheater,” informing him about the closing of his account, withdrawing his invitation to the Global Championship tournament organized by Chess.com, and giving him a chance to explain the reason behind his conduct.
Chess.com further accused Niemann of trying to make the platform’s private actions public. The body asserted that the Court should not move the lawsuit forward.
The lawsuit filed by Niemann, according to Chess.com, is nothing but a public relation stunt and a way to utilize his stardom. He sparked the controversy himself, Chess.com says, by engaging himself in responding to media coverages on the scandal.
The inclusion of Rensch’s name was nothing but an effort to put further weight on the lawsuit, according to Chess.com, as Rensch is such a high-profile executive.
Did Neimann Really Admit Cheating?
Niemann actually admitted his cheating while playing Chess.com, soon after Carlsen’s accusations went viral, at the age of twelve and sixteen but also mentioned that he had never cheated on a live game. Until he played Carlsen, he was well-taught of the game’s handiest tricks, claimed Niemann, refusing to accept any probability of cheating in the game he won against Carlsen.
About Chess.com
Like cycling pet adoption, playing chess became a popular hobby during the pandemic, further fueled by “The Queen’s Gambit,” the Netflix series.
The membership on the online chase playing platform reportedly tripled to 94 million during the pandemic, along with daily user figures rising to five million.
Just when the platform became the common virtual hangout platform for chess players of every level, every major news streaming platform, from YouTube to podcasts, started echoing updates on the battle between Niemann and Chess.com.
By then, Chess.com was already calling Niemann a cheater and supporting Magnus Carlsen openly.
The Final Words
Final words on this matter, however, can only be said by the Court. The allegation against Hans Niemann and his lawsuit against chess.com to counter them are subject to court proceedings.
But some eminent chess players worldwide genuinely feel the actual truth needs to come out, including Danish grandmaster Jacob Aagaard, five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, and grandmaster Ben Finegold.
Amid this crisis, Singaporean Tin Jingyao defeated Niemann at the tournament recently held in Spain.
