Hans Niemann takes legal action against Magnus Carlsen, Chess.com for $100 million

Photo by TIM VIZER/AFP through Getty Images

The chess unfaithful detraction brewing since September simply reignited. Hans Niemann, the 19-year-old chess grandmaster, filed a claim against globe champ Magnus Carlsen, as well as others, for $100 million in problems.

The defamation lawsuit declares that Chess.com, a prominent online system where gamers complete in competitions, conspired with Carlsen as well as Play Magnus to outlaw Niemann from the site as well as future occasions to “lend credence to Carlsen’s unsubstantiated and defamatory accusations of cheating.” (In August, Play Magnus, Carlsen’s preferred chess application, approved a procurement deal by Chess.com for $83 million. The fit claims this will certainly combine will certainly “monopolize the chess world.”) It additionally declares that Hikaru Nakamura, Chess.com’s preferred streaming companion, conspired with Carlsen as well as Chess.com with “video content” that reinforced unfaithful claims. The fit additionally declares that Danny Rensch, primary chess police officer of Chess.com, provided “defamatory press releases.”

These activities “destroyed Niemann’s remarkable career in its prime and ruined his life,” the government fit claims. “Chess is Niemann’s life.”

“My lawsuit speaks for itself,” Niemann tweeted on Thursday.

My claim promotes itself https://t.co/rOfUxiNYCH

— Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) October 20, 2022

Polygon connected through e-mail to Magnus Carlsen’s supervisor, in addition to the president of Play Magnus Group of Companies, as well as Hikaru Nakamura’s WME representatives, yet has actually not yet gotten a reaction.

Chess.com’s legal representatives Nima Mohebbi as well as Jamie Wine of Latham & Watkins, LLP offered an e-mail declaration to Polygon:

We are distressed by Hans Niemann’s choice to take lawsuit versus Chess.com. We think his claim injures the game of chess as well as its dedicated gamers as well as followers around the globe.

Chess.com takes pride in its track record within the chess area as well as past, as well as will certainly constantly protect the game, the gamers, as well as their goal of both expanding as well as shielding on the internet chess.

Hans admitted openly to unfaithful online following the Sinquefield Cup, as well as the resulting after effects is of his very own production. As mentioned in its October 2022 record, Chess.com had actually traditionally taken care of Hans’ previous unfaithful independently, as well as was required to clarify its setting just after he spoke up openly.

There is no advantage to Hans’ claims, as well as Chess.com expects establishing the document right in behalf of its group as well as all sincere chess gamers.

The chess unfaithful legend began in September, when Niemann beat Carlsen in a suit at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis. Carlsen suddenly took out from the competition, yet did not provide any type of reason that. Later that month, he made simply one step versus Niemann at the Julius Baer Generation Cup, prior to switching off his video camera as well as surrendering. On Sept. 26, Carlsen tweeted a main declaration saying that he believed Niemann had cheated. Carlsen didn’t provide evidence, yet claimed that he really felt Niemann hadn’t been “tense or even fully concentrating on the game in critical positions.”

“Notorious for his inability to cope with defeat, Carlsen snapped,” the claim declares, of Carlsen’s habits after the Sinquefield Cup. “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.”

Niemann has actually not been captured unfaithful in an over the board suit (a suit that’s held literally personally, instead of on the internet). However, he did admit to cheating in two Chess.com matches — as soon as when he was 12, as well as as soon as when he was 16. In the exact same meeting, he refuted ever before unfaithful in over the board games. In that exact same video clip he supplies to also play nude to show he isn’t unfaithful — a deal that brought about the outlandish claim that he used anal beads to cheat. (The claim keeps in mind that Sinquefield Cup anti-cheating steps have actually depended on consist of “military-grade metal detection scans.”)

Chess.com, nonetheless, banned Niemann from its platform on Sept. 8, tweeting a main declaration regarding why. And in very early October, the Wall Street Journal reported a Chess.com examination located that Niemann had actually gone against “fairplay” greater than he had actually claimed, mentioning his unfaithful covered greater than 100 games.

The fit claims that Chess.com’s declaration “is false” as well as created to “further defame Niemann,” by charging of him of being a “liar” along with being a “serial online cheater.” The fit additionally claims “conspiracy theories” went “viral on the internet,” as well as claims that Niemann has actually shed possibilities as an outcome of “defamatory accusations,” consisting of the reality that the Tata Steel Chess Tournament “ceased all contact,” as well as adolescent Grandmaster Vincent Keymer “refused to play” in a suit versus Niemann.

 

Source: Polygon