Hans Niemann has launched a defamation lawsuit against world chess number one Magnus Carlsen and other defendants after he was accused of cheating.
The chess grandmaster found himself in the spotlight after Carlsen alleged the teenager of cheating in their matchup, with some rumours speculating the American used anal beads to do the bidding.
It’s the saga that has gripped the sporting world as each player has gone back and forth in their ongoing feud.
Niemann is now seeking at least AU$150 million (US$100m, £89m) in damages against Carlsen, the Norwegian company Play Magnus, and Chess.com.
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Other defendants include Chess.com boss Daniel Rensch and American grandmaster Hikaru Nakumura.
The 19-year-old alleges that his upset victory over Carlsen in September resulted in a wave of defamatory statements accusing him of unlawful playing which ultimately destroyed his reputation.
Niemann tweeted on Friday (October 21): “My lawsuit speaks for itself.”
The lawsuit states: “Niemann is a 19-year-old, self-taught chess prodigy.
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“He brings this action to recover from the devastating damages that Defendants have inflicted upon his reputation, career, and life by egregiously defaming him and unlawfully colluding to blacklist him from the profession in which he has dedicated his life.”
The US chess star has always maintained his innocence and even went as far as claiming he’d play naked to prove as much.
And considering all the drama surrounding the saga we’re sure a naked matchup between the two would be a huge box office draw.
The lawsuit goes on to state: “Notorious for his inability to cope with defeat, Carlsen snapped.
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“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.”
Feisty.
Carlsen initially refused to outright accuse Niemann of cheating, however, sent out a statement explaining his actions after he resigned after just one move in a later game against the American.
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Earlier, this month Chess.com released a 72-page report stating that Niemann had ‘likely’ cheated more than 100 times on the site.
Niemann had previously admitted to cheating twice in informal games when he was 12 and 16, but claimed he had never done so in competitive games.
Chess.com are currently in the process of acquiring Carlsen’s company Play Magnus for AU$132 million (US$83m, £74m).
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Chess.com responded to the lawsuit in a statement to ABC: “We are saddened by Hans Niemann's decision to take legal action against Chess.com.
"Hans confessed publicly to cheating online in the wake of the Sinquefield Cup, and the resulting fallout is of his own making.
“As stated in its October 2022 report, Chess.com had historically dealt with Hans's prior cheating privately, and was forced to clarify its position only after he spoke out publicly.
"There is no merit to Hans's allegations, and Chess.com looks forward to setting the record straight on behalf of its team and all honest chess players."
Carlsen did not immediately respond to SPORTbible requests for comment.
Featured Image Credit: UPI / Alamy. NTB Scanpix / Alamy.