Norwegian chess players Magnus Carlsen and American Hans Niemann, cold since the former accused the latter of having cheated in a tournament, have made peace and are ready to compete again around a chessboard, according to a press release published on the Chess.com website.
"Both sides have been negotiating privately in good faith since June to resolve their issues and allow the world of chess to move forward without further litigation," the statement read. "We are pleased to report that all parties have reached an agreement," it says, without detailing the terms.
The dispute between the two players began on September 5, 2022, when Niemann defeated Carlsen, then five-time world champion, in the Sinquefield Cup, an annual chess tournament held in St. Louis, Missouri. The Norwegian then withdrew from the tournament with a bang, sibyllinely accusing his opponent of cheating and multiplying since then the insinuations.
Other international grandmasters, such as Japanese-American player Hikaru Nakamura, had followed suit and Chess.com, the world's leading online chess platform, had judged that the American had "probably cheated at least a hundred times in online games.
Greatest chess player of the 21st century
While he admitted to cheating on Chess.com twice, when he was 12 and 16, Niemann, now 20, denied continuing to do so and said he was "ready to play naked." to demonstrate it. He had also dragged his accusers to US justice, demanding $ 100 million in reparations, but a federal judge dismissed it in June.
"I accept and understand Chess.com's report, including the assertion that there is no conclusive evidence that Niemann cheated during his game against me in the Sinquefield Cup," Magnus Carlsen commented. , quoted in the press release. "I'm ready to play against Niemann in the future if we ever meet," he added.
Contacted by Agence France-Presse, its spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. Niemann, also quoted in the statement, said he "looks forward to battling Magnus in chess rather than in court." Considered the greatest chess player of the 21st century, Carlsen has given up competing for the world championship since 2023, tired of the competition format and its sequence of long games, leaving Ding Liren to become the first Chinese world champion. Of the history.
