Chess star suing for defamation
WESTON — Hans Niemann, a worldclass chess competitor and former Weston student, has filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Chess.com and others after he was accused of cheating to win national and international matches, court documents show.
Several of the defendants have since moved to dismiss the case.
In the suit, filed in Missouri U.S. District Court in October, Niemann said he is a “self-taught chess prodigy” who has lived out of a suitcase so he can compete
in chess matches throughout the world — until the defendants damaged his “reputation, career and life by egregiously defaming him” and “colluding” to blacklist him from competing.
Attorneys for Chess.com moved to dismiss the suit on Friday, arguing that Niemann failed to allege any sort of malice or conspiracy against him, among other points.
“(The suit) is so plainly without merit that it could have been brought only as a public relations stunt,” attorneys said. “The Court should not allow it to move forward.”
Niemann was accused of “likely cheating” in more than 100 online matches in a report released by Chess.com in October. The report was released following weeks of controversies surrounding Niemann’s victory over chess world champion Magnus Carlsen in a third-round match at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup in September in St. Louis, Mo.
Days later, Calrson was scheduled to play Niemann at another event, but resigned after just one move, then issued a press release alleging that Niemann had cheated in their prior game, according to Niemann’s court filing.
“Carlsen’s unprecedented actions, coupled with his unfounded accusations, sent shock waves through the chess world and instantly thrust Niemann into the center of what is now widely reported as the single biggest chess scandal in history,” said lawyers representing Niemann in the suit. “A flurry of independent and unbiased sources... have uniformly confirmed that there is no evidence that Niemann cheated in any of his games against Carlsen.”
Neimann is suing Chess.com and Carlsen, as well as Chess.com executive Daniel “Danny” Rensch and chess streamer Hikaru Nakamura, for $100 million in damages.
Carlsen and Rensch both moved to dismiss on Friday as well.
In his motion to dismiss, Carlsen, represented by attorney Craig Reiser, also argued that Niemann did not have grounds to bring the
suit against him, pointing to Niemann’s alleged cheating as the cause for his concerns.
“Despite Niemann’s attempt to pretend otherwise, his Amended Complaint leaves no doubt that his history of known misconduct is the reason that top-ranked chess players and tournament organizers question the integrity of his play. Even accepting Niemann’s baseless allegations as true, his fatal admissions and lack of plausible allegations make it impossible for him to state any valid claim against Carlsen,” said Reiser.
Neimann argues that Chess.com added credence to Carlsen’s alleged claims by banning him from the site and future events. Nakamura allegedly published “hours of video” in an effort to bolster the allegations; Rensch allegedly issued “defamatory” press releases accusing him of cheating.
“Despite the falsity of Defendants’ accusations, Defendants’ malicious defamation and unlawful collusion has, by design, destroyed Niemann’s remarkable career in its prime and ruined his life,” lawyers said in the complaint.
While Chess.com does not control professional chess, Niemann alleged it can exert its influence as the “world’s dominant online chess site” to determine who is invited to competitions, as well as allowed to use the service and gain followers. He also argued Carlsen inappropriately used his influence against him as well.
Niemann acknowledged
using a chess engine in a “handful” of recreational games when he was younger on Chess.com but has said the issue was previously resolved.
“Despite the fact that Niemann did not cheat during his Sinquefield Cup match against Carlsen, or use an engine during online recreational matches more frequently than he has acknowledged, Defendants’ coordinated campaign of defamation and misinformation has nevertheless already had the desired effect of destroying Niemann’s reputation, career, and livelihood,” his attorneys said.
In a statement on behalf of Chess.com, attorney Nima Mohebbi said there was “no merit” to the allegations raised in the suit.
“Chess.com is proud of its reputation within the chess community and beyond, and will always defend the game, the players, and their mission of both growing and protecting online chess,” said Mohebbi. “Hans confessed publicly to cheating online in the wake of the Sinquefield Cup, and the resulting fallout is of his own making.”
In the motion to dismiss, Mohebbi argues that Niemann was banned from Chess.com because of his prior cheating on the platform, instead of as a result of a conspiracy against him or antitrust violations.
“Conclusory allegations, fatal admissions, and implausibility infect the entire pleading,” Mohebbi said.