Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann sues champion Magnus Carlsen, others for $100 million over cheating claim

[Graham Banks]

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/20/chess-g ... ation.html

KEY POINTS
Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann filed a $100 million lawsuit against world champion Magnus Carlsen and others for claims that Niemann cheated in competition.
The suit claims that the defendants, including Chess.com, inflicted “devastating damages” against Niemann by “egregiously defaming him.”
It also claims collusion between Chess.com, Carlsen and popular streamer Hikaru Nakamura in barring Niemann from the professional chess world.

Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann filed a $100 million lawsuit against world champion Magnus Carlsen and others for alleged defamatory statements claiming that Niemann cheated in competition.

The suit claims that the defendants, including Chess.com, inflicted “devastating damages” against Niemann by “egregiously defaming him” and “unlawfully colluding” to bar him from the professional chess world.

“My lawsuit speaks for itself,” Niemann said Thursday in a Twitter post.

[Eduard]

Uff...
Just read it on ChessBase.com too

Niemann is suing Carlsen, Nakamura, chess.com and Daniel Rensch for USD 100m each

[Graham Banks]

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap ... 08.1.0.pdf

The lawsuit.

[Werewolf]

Good grief.

That's a very bold move. He's either sure he's innocent and he'll make Magnus pay, or, he's not and this will create a deterrence from anyone else accusing him in the future.

Smart but nasty.

[dkappe]

Good grief.

That's a very bold move. He's either sure he's innocent and he'll make Magnus pay, or, he's not and this will create a deterrence from anyone else accusing him in the future.

Smart but nasty.

Well, lawsuits, first and foremost, are expensive. Once you go to trial, you can quickly get into the six figures.

[CornfedForever]

Well, lawsuits, first and foremost, are expensive. Once you go to trial, you can quickly get into the six figures.

Sometimes a law firm will take a case 'for free' - payment pending upon how much they can get for the aggrieved party. This...people who could lose...'settle'.

Do we know that Carlsen asked that Hans be removed from the tournament (#9)?

#10. I'm not sure Magnus press release after the 1 move resignation carried an outright claim that Hans had cheated AT the St. Louis tourney. close enough perhaps (?).

Frankly, some of this Hans legal team may NOT be able to prove, so...
BUT "Malicious defamation"....that might well fly.

My jury prediction ( if it ever happens).

Nakamura: not guilty
Chess.com: not guilty
Magnus Carlsen: guilty of defamation.

[Graham Banks]

From the Chessbase article:
https://en.chessbase.com/post/breaking- ... n-is-suing

Quoting very lightly the complaint, the text does not mince words:

Carlsen, having solidified his position as the “King of Chess,” believes that when it comes to chess, he can do whatever he wants and get away with it.

(...)

8. Notorious for his inability to cope with defeat, Carlsen snapped. 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, Carlsen viciously and maliciously retaliated against Niemann by falsely accusing Niemann, without any evidence, of somehow cheating during their in-person game and demanding that the organizers of the Sinquefield Cup immediately disqualify Niemann from the tournament.

9. When tournament officials refused to comply with Carlsen’s corrupt and cowardly demand to baselessly eliminate Niemann from competition, Carlsen lashed out again, this time by boycotting the remainder of the Sinquefield Cup in protest—an unprecedented act for a top chess professional, let alone the reigning World Champion.

[CornfedForever]

From the Chessbase article:
https://en.chessbase.com/post/breaking- ... n-is-suing

Quoting very lightly the complaint, the text does not mince words:

Carlsen, having solidified his position as the “King of Chess,” believes that when it comes to chess, he can do whatever he wants and get away with it.

(...)

8. Notorious for his inability to cope with defeat, Carlsen snapped. 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, Carlsen viciously and maliciously retaliated against Niemann by falsely accusing Niemann, without any evidence, of somehow cheating during their in-person game and demanding that the organizers of the Sinquefield Cup immediately disqualify Niemann from the tournament.

9. When tournament officials refused to comply with Carlsen’s corrupt and cowardly demand to baselessly eliminate Niemann from competition, Carlsen lashed out again, this time by boycotting the remainder of the Sinquefield Cup in protest—an unprecedented act for a top chess professional, let alone the reigning World Champion.

Frankly...it sounds like Saul Goodman wrote the complaint...

[dkappe]

Nakamura: not guilty

If you’ve even sampled his stream, the shear quantity of his gossiping puts him at risk. He’s not a smart man and has been very careless in his statements.

[CornfedForever]

Nakamura: not guilty

If you’ve even sampled his stream, the shear quantity of his gossiping puts him at risk. He’s not a smart man and has been very careless in his statements.

Actually, I thought about this more while running over to the local Publix.

Nakamura - distances himself from chess.com...on a recent podcast he actually says (I forget the wording) chess.com is to blame for things.

Chess.com - distances itself from Magnus for any OTB 'cheating' talk...gone of of their way to do so really. They have done a really good job of dotting their 'i's' and crossing their 't's. An interesting thought: DID Hans actually go to that website and claim the $5,000 (I think that's it) for the online tourney he was kicked out of? If so...a jury might tie it to an 'okay, I cheated...thanks for the cash'. If he did not...that might favor Hans.

Magnus - can distance himself from no one. He is the one therefore that stands to lose the most. Would the Keymer match have continued had Magnus not made such a stink? Probably. Are other...or future tournament not likely to invite Hans if they want to attract Magnus...very possibly and tournaments/matches are how aspiring chess professionals make their money.

So, you are right , Naka has played fast and lose with all the 'data' from the significance mongers trying 2 and 2 together to try to get 5, when it may just be 4. I haven't listened to every word of his, but has he actually said "Yes, I think Hans has cheated OTB"? How different that might be from a "I think he may have" vs as "He has" for a jury...I don't know.

Further, I wonder if chess.com needs to 'opt out' of the Play Magnus Group deal...further distancing itself?

Anyway, all likely to be settled out of cour5...with Magnus paying the most and playing a few more years than he wants to pay off his transgressions.