Magnus Carlsen the Chess GOAT, and American grandmaster Hans Niemann have settled their cheating allegations outside of court. The news comes as a breath of fresh air for fans and players alike, who have been following this high-stakes drama unfold since last year.
Both players are part time Twitch streamers and actively threw jabs at each other on-stream while the drama unfolded.
The controversy first ignited when Niemann, a 20-year-old rising star, defeated the five-time world champion Carlsen at the Sinquefield Cup held in St. Louis, Missouri. Carlsen, 32, immediately withdrew from the tournament, accusing Niemann of cheating—a claim that was later supported by international grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura and Chess.com. The platform even suggested that Niemann had likely cheated at least 100 times online.
Niemann had previously admitted to cheating on Chess.com between the ages of 12 and 16 but vehemently denied any wrongdoing in the Sinquefield Cup. He filed a $100 million lawsuit, which was eventually dismissed by a U.S. federal judge in June. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) also launched an investigation into what many describe as one of the biggest scandals in chess history.
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Conflict Resolution
Both parties have been in private negotiations since June, aiming to resolve the issue amicably. Chess.com released a statement saying:
“We are happy to share that all sides have reached an agreement.” Magnus Carlsen also acknowledged that there was no definitive evidence against Niemann and expressed his willingness to compete against him in future events.
Niemann stated that he looks forward to competing against Magnus “in chess rather than in court.” Carlsen, regarded as the greatest player of this century, decided not to participate in the last world chess championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, which saw Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren crowned against Russia’s Ian Nepomnyachi.
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