An American teenaged chess prodigy plagued by unsubstantiated rumors of cheating with vibrating anal beads after he defeated world champion Magnus Carlsen in September 2022 has reached a settlement in his defamation lawsuit.
While admitting to cheating in online chess games during his early teenage years, 20-year-old Hans Niemann vehemently denied any wrongdoing in over-the-board games, filing a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Carlsen and the online platform Chess.com in October 2022, the NY Post reported Tuesday.
Chess.com had launched an investigation into Niemann after the allegations surfaced. Rumors that Niemann used wireless anal beads that supposedly vibrated to indicate his next move were never substantiated, Insider reported in September 2022.
Chess prodigy Hans Niemann settles legal fight over sex toy cheating claims https://t.co/ZLh5IwfEQ4 pic.twitter.com/PfPHcHRJHP
— New York Post (@nypost) August 29, 2023
The legal dispute has now been resolved, with all parties agreeing to drop the lawsuit, Chess.com confirmed in a joint statement with Carlsen and Niemann on Monday. Chess.com said it stands by its report from October 2022, which “found no determinative evidence that [Niemann] has cheated in any in-person games.” (RELATED: Hans Niemann: The Scandal Rocking The World Of Chess)
“I acknowledge and understand Chess.com’s report, including its statement that there is no determinative evidence that Niemann cheated in his game against me at the Sinquefield Cup,” Carlsen said in response, according to Chess.com. The Norwegian chess player added that he would be “willing to play Niemann in future events, should we be paired together.”
Niemann’s account on Chess.com has been reinstated as part of the resolution, and he is welcome to participate in future events, according to the platform.
“I am pleased that my lawsuit against Magnus Carlsen and Chess.com has been resolved in a mutually acceptable manner, and that I am returning to Chess.com,” Niemann said. “I look forward to competing against Magnus in chess rather than in court and am grateful to my attorneys at Oved & Oved for believing in me and helping me resolve the case.”