Show of Hans

Hans Niemann is back. The American grandmaster drew worldwide attention last year when he was alleged to have cheated by Magnus Carlsen. Niemann responded with a $100 million defamation lawsuit against various parties. That was dismissed by a federal judge in June, though Niemann could still have pursued some of his claims in a state court.

But in late August, the website Chess.com (one of the defendants) released a joint statement with Hans Niemann and Magnus Carlsen to move on from the issue. What a delicate compromise it was! Chess.com reinstated Niemann to their platform, but stood by their October 2022 report, which set out the case that Niemann had cheated extensively online. Carlsen acknowledged the report, ‘including the statement that there is no determinative evidence that Niemann cheated in his game against me at the Sinquefield Cup’. He also stated that he is willing to play Niemann in future events. Niemann made it clear that the issue was resolved.