He wiggled his way out of this one.
A US teenage chess prodigy dogged by claims he used vibrating “anal beads” to cheat during a high-stakes match has been partially vindicated after he and his opponent agreed to resolve a bombshell legal battle, the NY Post reports.
Hans Niemann, 19, rocked the chess world after his rival, Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, 31, alleged the American used a sex toy to cheat during a tournament in St. Louis, Missouri last September.
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An investigation into Niemann’s play conducted by Chess.com stated that Niemann likely “received illegal assistance” in more than 100 online games, as recently as 2020, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Niemann, who fiercely denied the allegations, swiftly slapped Carlsen and online platform Chess.com with a $100 million lawsuit accusing them of defamation for the bead-cheating allegations.
Now, months after the so-called cheating saga penetrated the chess world, all parties have agreed to drop the legal fight, Chess.com revealed in a statement Monday.
Chess.com added that Niemann is now welcome to play at future events and his account has been reinstated.
“I look forward to competing against Magnus in chess rather than in court,” Niemann said in a joint statement.
The legal battle erupted after Niemann’s upset victory over Carlsen — who has been the world’s top-ranked player for more than a decade — at last year’s Sinquefield Cup tournament in St. Louis.
Carlsen quickly withdrew from the tournament and later took to Twitter to accuse Niemann of cheating.
The allegations sparked such uproar that Niemann started facing wild rumours that he’d used a rectally inserted sex toy to receive wireless signals from his coach about his winning moves.
During the US Chess Championships in St. Louis in October, an official even used a metal detector to inspect Niemann’s rear before he could play in the tournament.
His lawsuit, which was dismissed by a judge in June, didn’t specifically mention the anal bead allegations.
Niemann has admitted to cheating online when he was 12 and 16 years old but vehemently denied any wrongdoing while contesting over-the-board games.
Chess.com said Monday it stood by its report findings — including “that we found no determinative evidence that he has cheated in any in-person games.”
“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 a statement announcing their truce.
“I am willing to play Niemann in future events, should we be paired together.”
This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission.
