Hans Niemann sues Magnus Carlsen, Chess.com for $100M

Hans Niemann, the American teen Grandmaster sensationally accused of cheating by Magnus Carlsen, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the Norwegian world champion and other parties, adding another twist to the “single biggest chess scandal in history”, as the lawsuit terms it.

Filed in the United States District Court of Missouri, the lawsuit lists Carlsen, Play Magnus—the online platform founded by Carlsen—, online platform Chess.com, its Chief Chess Officer Danny Rensch and popular streamer Hikaru Nakamura as defendants. Accusing them of slander, libel, unlawful group boycott under the Sherman Act, tortious interference with contract and business expectancies and civil conspiracy, Niemann has sought damages of no less than $100 million.

“He brings this action to recover from the devastating damages that Defendants have inflicted upon his reputation, career, and life by egregiously defaming him and unlawfully colluding to blacklist him from the profession to which he has dedicated his life,” read the 44-page lawsuit, posted on Twitter by Niemann with the words, “My lawsuit speaks for itself”.

The controversy that has created ripples through the chess world blew up after Carlsen resigned after just one move against the 19-year-old in the Julius Baer Generation Cup, an online tournament, in September and later publicly accused Niemann of having "cheated more—and more recently—than he has publicly admitted". Earlier that month, Carlsen lost to Niemann in the Sinquefield Cup, an over-the-board event, and then withdrew from the tournament.

Niemann has acknowledged to having cheated previously on two occasions, at the age of 12 and 16. He, however, has maintained that he did not do so in the match against Carlsen. His lawsuit reiterated “there is no evidence that Niemann cheated in any of his games against Carlsen, including at the Sinquefield Cup, particularly given the more than ample anti-cheating security measures used at the event.”

FIDE, the international chess federation, said last month it would launch an investigation into Carlsen’s claims. Chess.com, meanwhile, decided to ban Niemann and in a report released earlier this month, stated he has “likely cheated more than 100 times in online games”; although it did not find “clear evidence that Niemann cheated over the board”.

In the lawsuit, Niemann said Chess.com, in collusion with Carlsen and Play Magnus, “immediately banned Niemann from its website and all of its future events, to lend credence to Carlsen’s unsubstantiated and defamatory accusations”. He also accused Nakamura, the platform’s most influential streaming partner, of publishing “hours of video content amplifying and attempting to bolster Carlsen's false cheating allegations against Niemann with numerous additional defamatory statements”.

The lawsuit has outlined how Niemann has been blacklisted by the chess community post the allegations, leading to the teen’s invitations to play in various tournaments being revoked. "... unlawful collusion has, by design, destroyed Niemann’s remarkable career in its prime and ruined his life," the lawsuit read.

The lawsuit also personally attacks Carlsen, stating the Norwegian is "notorious for his inability to cope with defeat", adding that he was “fearful that the young prodigy would further blemish his multi-million dollar brand by beating him again”. “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,” it further read.

According to Reuters, lawyers for Chess.com have denied any merit in Niemann's charge. "Hans confessed publicly to cheating online in the wake of the Sinquefield Cup, and the resulting fallout is of his own making," the lawyers’ statement read. "Chess.com looks forward to setting the record straight on behalf of its team and all honest chess players."

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