Hans Niemann has filed a lawsuit accusing chess world champion Magnus Carlsen and others of defamation, in the latest twist to a cheating scandal that has roiled the world of elite chess.
The lawsuit says that in the aftermath of Niemann's upset win in September, Carlsen has been motivated to preserve his status as the"king of chess" so he could complete his company's buyout by Chess.com — a deal worth tens of millions of dollars. Niemann, who like other top players hosts lucrative video accounts on Twitch and other services, also said he hadn't cheated when he was streaming games., stating,"Hans has likely cheated in more than 100 online chess games, including several prize money events. He was already 17 when he likely cheated in some of these matches and games. He was also streaming in 25 of these games.
Carlsen rattled the chess world in late September, when he was once again matched against Niemann in a tournament — but according to Niemann's lawsuit, Carlsen"gutlessly forfeited the game after making one move." Carlsen later stated outright that he would refuse to play Niemann because of his past links to cheating.