US judge throws out high-profile chess cheating lawsuit
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This comes as chess player Hans Niemann, hailed as a prodigy by those close to him, filed a suit for libel in a Missouri state court.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Washington – A US federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by chess player Hans Niemann, who was seeking US$100 million (S$135 million) including former world champion Magnus Carlsen.
“We are pleased the court has rejected Hans Niemann’s attempt to recover an undeserved windfall in Missouri federal court,” said Craig Reiser, Carlsen’s attorney.
The 20-year-old American, hailed as a prodigy by those close to him, had filed a suit for libel in a Missouri state court in a case that shook the chess world and gripped millions of Internet users.
It all started on Sept 4, 2022, when Niemann defeated Carlsen in the Sinquefield Cup, an annual chess tournament held in St Louis, Missouri.
The 32-year-old Carlsen of Norway, a five-time world champion, then withdrew from the tournament with a bang, accusing his opponent of cheating.
His claims were later echoed by international grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura and the world’s leading online chess platform, Chess.com, suggesting that Niemann had cheated at least 100 times online and that it had uncovered evidence of his repeated cheating.
Niemann had admitted to cheating on Chess.com when he was between 12 and 16 years old, but denies having continued and said that he was ready to “strip naked” to prove his skill.
The International Chess Federation (Fide) also opened an investigation last September into the affair, described by many as one of the biggest scandals in the history of chess.
The saga might not be over yet, though.
Niemann’s attorneys, Terrence and Darren Oved, noted in a statement that only part of the lawsuit was dismissed “with prejudice”, which means only those specific claims cannot be refiled at a later time, according to an article published by USA Today.
“This decision has absolutely no impact on Niemann’s ability to continue pursuing his primary claims of defamation and numerous other state law claims,” they said, adding that Niemann will now take those claims to state court.
Since the controversial incident broke out, Niemann has continued to play in tournaments, although he has lost some ground in international rankings.
He has also claimed he lost out on millions of dollars in potential winnings after being allegedly blacklisted from major tournaments by the defendants.
Carlsen decided not to play in the 2023 World Chess Championships in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, which saw the crowning of Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren against the Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi in April.
Despite that, he is still considered the greatest chess player of the 21st century.
Lawyers for Chess.com, meanwhile, said in a statement that the company is “happy to see an end to this saga” and “grateful that all parties can now focus on growing the game of chess”. AFP, REUTERS
