It felt like today may by no means come, however former world champion Magnus Carlsen and grandmaster Hans Niemann have lastly put the dishonest scandal that rocked the chess world final 12 months, together with meme-filled hypothesis about anal beads, to mattress.
Chess.com and Carlsen reached a settlement with Niemann, who had sued them and Twitch streamer Hikaru Nakamura for $100 million over what he alleged was a “civil conspiracy” to defame him. “We’re happy to report that we now have reached an settlement with Hans Niemann to place our variations behind us and transfer ahead collectively with out additional litigation,” Chess.com wrote in an replace on August 28. Consequently, Niemann will as soon as once more be allowed to compete on the web chess platform, and Carlsen has agreed to play him sooner or later ought to they meet in a event.
“I acknowledge and perceive Chess.com’s report, together with its assertion that there isn’t any determinative proof that Niemann cheated in his sport towards me on the Sinquefield Cup,” Carlsen stated in a press release. “I’m prepared to play Niemann in future occasions, ought to we be paired collectively.”
It was the former world champion’s remarks that originally set the biggest dishonest scandal within the trendy period of the sport in movement. After shedding to Niemann in a surprising upset throughout the early phases of the August 2022 Sinquefield Cup, Carlsen resigned from the event fully, and tweeted out a Jose Mourinho meme implying Niemann had cheated.
The accusations took chess message boards and Twitch communities by storm, with viewers within the Chessbrah Twitch chat joking that possibly Niemann had used anal beads to speak with somebody sending him the perfect strikes from the skin utilizing an AI chess engine. Anal beads turned a operating joke, not as a result of there was any proof they had been ever used, however exactly as a result of there was by no means any proof that Niemann ever truly cheated, not to mention how he would have managed to, given the Sinquefield Cup’s strict safety. It even turned the premise for an total episode of It’s At all times Sunny in Philadelphia.
It was all enjoyable and video games till Carlsen doubled-down on his allegations in September and Chess.com launched a 72-page report in October accusing Niemann of dishonest in a number of matches performed on the web site. Niemann fired again with a $100 million lawsuit accusing Carlsen of leveraging his “media empire” and partnerships with Chess.com to attempt to get Niemann blacklisted from tournaments and shunned from the skilled chess world.
A federal choose tossed out Niemann’s lawsuit in June, however he tried to attraction the choice and now the 2 sides have settled. Whereas Chess.com stated it stands by its earlier report, it additionally admits that there isn’t any “determinative proof” that Niemann ever cheated in any in-person video games.
“I’m happy that my lawsuit towards Magnus Carlsen and Chess.com has been resolved in a mutually acceptable method, and that I’m returning to Chess.com,” Niemann stated in a press release. “I look ahead to competing towards Magnus in chess fairly than in court docket.”
