Hans Niemann has launched a $100 million defamation lawsuit against world chess number one Magnus Carlsen and other defendants after he was accused of cheating.
The teenager has been subjected to speculation that he used anal beads to help him in his matchup against Carlsen.
The Norwegian went on to outright accuse the American of unlawful play as each player has gone back and forth in the saga that has gripped the world.
Niemann is now seeking at least USD$100 million (AUD$150m, £89m) in damages against Carlsen, the Norwegian company Play Magnus, and Chess.com.
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Other defendants include Chess.com boss Daniel Rensch and American grandmaster Hikaru Nakumura.
The 19-year-old alleges that his victory over Carlsen in September resulted in a wave of defamatory statements that accused him of unlawful playing, which ultimately destroyed his reputation.
Niemann tweeted on Friday (October 21): “My lawsuit speaks for itself.”
The lawsuit states: “Niemann is a 19-year-old, self-taught chess prodigy.
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“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 in which he has dedicated his life.”
The US chess star has always maintained his innocence and even went as far as claiming he’d play naked to prove he's good at chess.
Considering all the drama surrounding the saga, we’re sure a naked matchup between the two would be a huge box office draw.
The lawsuit goes on to state: “Notorious for his inability to cope with defeat, Carlsen snapped.
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“Enraged that the young Niemann, fully 12 years his junior, dared to disrespect the ‘King of Chess', and fearful that the young prodigy would further blemish his multi-million dollar brand by beating him again.”
Feisty.
Carlsen initially refused to outright accuse Niemann of cheating, however, sent out a statement explaining his actions when he resigned after just one move in a later game against the American.
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Earlier, this month Chess.com released a 72-page report stating that Niemann had ‘likely’ cheated more than 100 times on the site.
Niemann had previously admitted to cheating twice in informal games when he was 12 and 16, but claimed he had never done so in competitive games.
Chess.com is currently in the process of acquiring Carlsen’s company Play Magnus for USD$83 million (AUD$132 million, £74m).
Chess.com responded to the lawsuit in a statement to ABC: “We are saddened by Hans Niemann's decision to take legal action against Chess.com.
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"Hans confessed publicly to cheating online in the wake of the Sinquefield Cup, and the resulting fallout is of his own making.
“As stated in its October 2022 report, Chess.com had historically dealt with Hans's prior cheating privately, and was forced to clarify its position only after he spoke out publicly.
"There is no merit to Hans's allegations, and Chess.com looks forward to setting the record straight on behalf of its team and all honest chess players."
Carlsen did not immediately respond to LADbible’s requests for comment.
Featured Image Credit: UPI / Alamy. NTB Scanpix / Alamy.Topics: Sport
