Magnus Carlsen is considered the greatest chess player of the 21st century. (File)
Washington, United States:
A US federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by chess player Hans Niemann seeking $100 million from those who accused him of cheating, including former world champion Magnus Carlsen.
“We are pleased that the court 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 child prodigy by those closest to him, had filed a libel suit in a Missouri court in a case that rocked the chess world and gripped millions of internet users.
It all started on September 5, 2022, when Niemann defeated Carlsen in the Sinquefield Cup, an annual chess tournament in St. Louis, Missouri.
The 32-year-old Norwegian Carlsen, 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 probably cheated online at least 100 times.
Niemann has admitted to cheating on chess.com when he was between the ages of 12 and 16, but denies continuing, saying he was willing to “strip naked” to prove his skill.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) opened an investigation last September into the affair, described by many as one of the biggest scandals in chess history.
Since it broke out, Niemann has continued to play in tournaments, although he has lost some ground in international rankings.
Carlsen decided not to participate in the last World Chess Championships in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, where the Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren was crowned against the Russian Ian Nepomnyachi.
Carlsen is still regarded as the greatest chess player of the 21st century.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NewsMadura staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
