Chess cheating controversy | Carlsen, Niemann settle dispute outside court

File picture of chess players Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Norway’s Magnus Carlsen and U.S. chess prodigy Hans Niemann, whom the former world champion accused of cheating last year, have resolved their dispute outside court, online platform Chess.com said on Monday.

Niemann, 20, filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Carlsen, Chess.com and U.S. grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura last October after allegations that he had cheated.

A U.S. judge dismissed the lawsuit in June.

Chess.com said all parties had agreed to move forward without any further litigation. The platform added that Niemann’s account has been reinstated and he is welcome to play at future events.

“I look forward to competing against Magnus in chess rather than in court,” Niemann said.

The legal battle stemmed from Niemann’s upset victory over Carlsen, who has been the world’s top-ranked player for over a decade, at the prestigious Sinquefield Cup tournament in St. Louis, Missouri, in September 2022.

Carlsen, 32, withdrew from the tournament and later claimed Niemann had cheated, which the American denied. Chess.com banned Niemann and later published a report saying he had likely cheated more than 100 times in online games.

Niemann has admitted to cheating online when he was 12 and 16-years-old, but denied any wrongdoing while contesting over-the-board games.

Chess.com said on Monday it stood by its findings in the report, “including that we found no determinative evidence that he has cheated in any in-person games”.

Weeks after the Sinquefield Cup, Carlsen refused to play in an online game against Niemann, opting instead to resign after just one move.

“I acknowledge and understand Chess.com’s report, including its statement that there is no determinative evidence that Niemann cheated in his game against me at the Sinquefield Cup,” five-time world champion Carlsen said.

“I am willing to play Niemann in future events, should we be paired together.”