Chess prodigy accused of dishonest by grandmaster has $100m libel swimsuit thrown out
C
hess prodigy Hans Niemann’s $100 million libel lawsuit in opposition to a fellow grandmaster who accused him of cheating has been thrown out by a judge.
The 19-year-old was on the centre of a storm final yr after a shock victory within the prestigious Sinquefield Cup in St Louis in opposition to Magnus Carlsen.
Norwegian chess world champion Carlsen claimed Niemann had cheated in the course of the match, resulting in a slew of on-line allegations and theories about what had occurred.
Carlsen then withdrew after one transfer from an internet match in opposition to {the teenager}, earlier than alleging Niemann had cheated “more – and more recently – than he has publicly admitted”.
The scandal grew when on-line chess platform Chess.com accused Niemann of greater than 100 situations of dishonest.
Wild hypothesis and rumors swirled on-line, together with a suggestion floated by chess podcasters that Niemann had used vibrating anal beads to obtain ideas.
Niemann filed a $100 million lawsuit in Missouri, saying he has been shunned by chess tournaments and alleging he’s the sufferer of a plot to “blacklist” him from the sport.
But on Tuesday Judge Audrey G. Fleissig dismissed federal antitrust claims in Niemann’s case and refused to just accept jurisdiction over libel and slander claims, bringing the lawsuit to an finish.
In an announcement, Carlsen’s lawyer Craig M. Reiser mentioned: “We are pleased the Court has rejected Hans Niemann’s attempt to recover an undeserved windfall in Missouri federal court, and that Niemann’s attempt to chill speech through strategic litigation in that forum has failed.”
Chess.com mentioned by means of authorized representatives that it’s “happy to see an end to this saga”.
Chess.com has banned Niemann from competing in its on-line tournaments, and has produced a report alleging widespread dishonest.
Niemann has admitted to dishonest in on-line chess matches when he was 12 and 16 years previous, however denies breaking the principles throughout in-person matches or contests for prize cash.
The Chess.com report claims Niemann has privately confessed to dishonest, throughout a Zoom name and in statements written on-line.