Hans Niemann Files Suit Against Magnus Carlsen, More over Chess Cheating Allegations

Hans Niemann filed a lawsuit and named Magnus Carlsen as one of the defendants, alleging he has been the victim of defamation.

"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," the filing reads.

Niemann is seeking at least $100 million in damages. Chess.com and Hikaru Nakamura are among the other defendants.

This comes as the 19-year-old is facing allegations of cheating during chess matches.

In September, Niemann said he had cheated before in online matches when he was younger but has since stopped, calling it "the single biggest mistake of my life."

Danny Rensch, the chief chess officer for Chess.com, issued a statement on Sept. 8, however, saying the website has "information that contradicts his statements regarding the amount and seriousness of his cheating on Chess.com." Chess.com took the step of banning Niemann as well.

Carlsen, the No. 1 player in the world, also released a statement on Sept. 26 alleging that Niemann "cheated more—and more recently—than he has publicly admitted."

Carlsen and Niemann had recently faced off in the Sinquefield Cup, with the former resigning on his second move as a form of protest:

The Wall Street Journal's Andrew Beaton and Joshua Robinson viewed an investigative report by Chess.com alleging Niemann "likely received illegal assistance in more than 100 online games, as recently as 2020."

In his suit, Niemann contends Carlsen leveled "baseless and retaliatory accusations" of cheating and then "unleashed his media empire to fan the flames of Carlsen’s cheating accusations" and "drown out the legitimate evidence refuting them."

The suit adds the accusations have "destroyed Niemann’s remarkable career in its prime and ruined his life."