Hans Niemann drops lawsuit against Chess.com and Magnus Carlsen

The company said Tuesday that Hans Niemann, a chess grandmaster, has dropped the $100 million lawsuit he filed against Chess.com, Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and the other grandmasters.

The chess drama and resulting lawsuit have been ongoing for nearly a year, beginning with September 2022’s Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis, when the then 19-year-old Niemann beat Norwegian chess superstar — sometimes called the King of Chess — Carlsen. Carlsen resigned from the tournament after the defeat. Chess.com then banned Niemann’s account from its website a few days later. Carlsen faced Niemann at the Julius Baer Generation Cup one week later. He made just one move, before quitting the game. He released a press release accusing Niemann on Sept. 26. Niemann has adamantly denied the accusations, but admitted to cheating on Chess.com twice — when he was 12 and 16. Niemann even said he’d play naked, which is where the infamous anal beads cheating jokes came from.

Niemann’s suit was filed by him on 20th October. Niemann appealed after the judge dismissed the case earlier in the year. “Chess.com and Hans Niemann have resolved their differences and are moving forward,” the company wrote on its website on Tuesday. Niemann has returned to Chess.com, and he is eligible to participate in any event.

Chess.com’s representative said that the parties involved have all expressed their opinions and are willing to discuss it openly. Chess.com published statements from the website, Carlsen and Niemann.

Carlsen acknowledged that there is “no determinative evidence that Niemann cheated at the Sinquefield Cup,” and said he’d be willing to play Niemann at future events. Niemann added that he “look[s] forward to competing against Magnus in chess rather than in court.”