Explained: Magnus Carlsen vs Hans Niemann controversy, what was American GM up to and what happens next | Chess News

The 11-month-long standoff between Magnus Carlsen and Hans Moke Niemann reached its endgame on Monday with a metaphorical handshake between the two players. The American GM had dragged Carlsen to court last year after the World No.1 claimed that Niemann had been cheating in over-the-board games. Carlsen’s allegations had prompted popular chess portal chess dot com to shut down Niemann’s account and publish an investigative report about his play.“I look forward to competing against Magnus in chess rather than in court,” Niemann said in a statement on Monday.
How did the controversy start?
On September 4, 2022, Niemann defeated Carlsen at the Sinquefield Cup tournament. A day later, Carlsen withdrew from the event. It was a week later that things came to a boil when the then world champion quit an online game against Niemann after making just one move.
Carlsen then posted a statement in which he said he believed the 19-year-old “has cheated more — and more recently — than he has publicly admitted.”

In the aftermath of the allegations, chess dot com privately closed Niemann’s account on its portal besides publishing an investigative report about his play in October 2022. The 72-page report was called the “Hans Niemann Report” in which they presented evidence that the American had “cheated online much more than his public statements suggest.”
The portal said that he “has likely cheated in more than 100 online chess games, including several prize money events.”
However, the report also added, “While Hans has had a record-setting and remarkable rise in rating and strength, in our view there is a lack of concrete statical evidence that he cheated in his game with Magnus or in any other over-the-board (in-person) games.”
It must be noted that in December last year, chess dot com acquired the Play Magnus Group, which was co-founded Carlsen.
On its part, the global governing body of chess, FIDE, announced the formation of an Investigatory Panel to probe the case.
Had Niemann cheated before?
Yes, the American has previously admitted to cheating in online chess events when he was 12 and 16 years of age. But he vehemently denied ever cheating in over-the-board games.
Did Carlsen say how Niemann had been cheating or present any evidence?
No. There were, of course, colourful theories on how the cheating had allegedly happened. But there was no evidence of any wrongdoing in over-the-board games.
How did Niemann respond?
The American Grandmaster filed a federal lawsuit against Carlsen, chess dot com and World No.2 Hikaru Nakamura seeking $100 million. He accused them of libel, slander and unlawful boycott, and tortious interference with Niemann’s business. An American judge threw out the case in June this year.
However, since the judge had dismissed the case “without prejudice”, Niemann had the option of refiling another suit based on those allegations, according to a report on CNN’s website.
In an emotional interview for St Louis Chess Club’s YouTube channel, Niemann said: “Do any fair play check you want on me, I don’t care because I know that I’m clean. They want me to strip fully naked? I’ll do it. I don’t care because I know that I’m clean and I’m willing to subject myself to what you want me to play.”
He later accused Carlsen of paying GM Aryan Tari €300 to scream “Ukse Hans” (which is Norwegian for ‘Cheater Hans’) at the European Club Cup tournament’s closing ceremony in October.
Did Niemann play in events after the controversy?
Yes, he played in multiple events since then, mostly in the USA (like the US Championship and US Fall Classic) and in Spain (Ellobregat Open Chess, IX Chessable Sunway Sitges Chess Festival and Menorca Open Chess). He also played in a handful of events elsewhere, but these were mostly open tournaments rather than invitational events, where the truly elite players play each other. The only top-level event he competed in was the FIDE Open World Rapid and Blitz Championship.
It must be noted that Niemann competed at the Kazakhstan Chess Cup tournament, which was held on the sidelines of the World Chess Championship battle between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren.
Was his rating affected?
Not really. In September 2022 when the controversy began, Niemann’s classical rating was 2688. In August 2023, it was 2660. It must be noted that an ELO rating increases or decreases depending on the player’s results and who they are playing. So if one plays a lot, and loses a lot to lower-rated opponents, the rating will take a hit. If one loses to higher-ranked opponents, the rating dent will be minuscule.
What does the settlement between the parties mean?
For one, we’re unlikely to see Carlsen refusing to play Niemann in future tournaments or resigning after one move to make a point.
“I acknowledge and understand chess dot com’s report, including its statement that there is no determinative evidence that Niemann cheated in his game against me at the Sinquefield Cup. I am willing to play Niemann in future events, should we be paired together,” Carlsen was quoted as saying in a release published the portal on Monday.Most Read
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The American’s account on chess dot com has now been reinstated, the portal said in the same statement. “Niemann will be… treated no differently from any other player”, it said.

The press release has a throwaway line which implies that while the dispute is dead and buried, things could still remain spicy.
“Chess dot com, Magnus, Hans, and Hikaru all have their own opinions about the events surrounding the controversy, and they agree they should each be able to talk openly about their views,” the statement read.