Grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann, who has been accused of cheating in chess, faced a setback in court recently. The US Federal District Court ruled that Niemann must drop certain antitrust allegations and pursue his defamation allegations in another court. The complainants in the case are world champion Magnus Carlsen, Chess.com, its CEO Daniel Rensch, grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, and Play Magnus. They have accused Niemann of ongoing fraud without providing evidence. As a result, Niemann is unable to play on the two most important chess websites or participate in most tournaments sponsored by the world chess association FIDE. This not only damages his reputation but also affects his income. Niemann is now defending himself legally.
In October, Niemann filed a defamation lawsuit against Carlsen, Nakamura, Rensch, and Chess.com in the US District Court for eastern Missouri. The lawsuit included allegations of breach of contract (against Chess.com only), anticompetitive impediment to business acquisition through unlawful group boycott, and attempt to form a monopoly. However, the court dismissed the competition law claims as they did not serve to protect affected competitors. The court ruled that the conduct alleged against the defendants did not harm competition in the market for professional chess tournaments. These claims are now referred to a state court, as the federal district court does not normally handle such lawsuits. The defendants are pleased with the verdict, while Niemann plans to pursue his defamation claims in a state court.
Niemann, a rising star in chess, has experienced significant success in recent years. However, he was caught using a chess computer illegally in online games. He admitted to cheating in friendly matches when he was younger but denies doing so in face-to-face games or online tournaments. In September, Niemann defeated Carlsen in a face-to-face game at a tournament in Missouri, which was seen as a major upset for the world champion. Carlsen accused Niemann of cheating and demanded his elimination from the tournament, but organizers rejected the request due to a lack of evidence. FIDE has condemned Carlsen’s behavior, noting that it could harm chess. Carlsen remains the number 1 player in the FIDE world rankings, while Niemann has risen in the rankings since September.
