"
The complaint filed by the American chess player Hans Niemann against those who accuse him of cheating is unjustified and surprising
," reacted Tuesday Play Magnus, a group partially owned by one of the accusers, the Norwegian champion Magnus Carlsen.
More or less explicitly singled out for several weeks for cheating, Hans Niemann, 19, counter-attacked last Thursday by filing a complaint in the United States against his accusers, including Magnus Carlsen, the group he founded Play Magnus or the chess.com platform.
Read alsoChess: Hans Niemann files a complaint against several people including his rival Magnus Carlsen
Accusing them of “
defamation
” and “
collusion
”, he claims at least one hundred million dollars in damages.
“
The company is surprised by this complaint and sees no basis in the allegations
,” Play Magnus retorted on Tuesday.
“
Play Magnus is consulting with legal advisers regarding possible actions
,” added the group, in which Magnus Carlsen still owns 8.54% and which is in the process of being sold to chess.com.
It all started on September 5 when the young American beat the Norwegian star, five-time world champion, at the Sinquefield Cup in the United States.
Magnus Carlsen then withdrew from the tournament, accusing him of cheating.
These allegations, which he has since repeated, have been echoed by American player Hikaru Nakamura and the world's leading online chess platform, chess.com, for whom the young grandmaster "
probably cheated
" at least a hundred times .
on line.
The International Chess Federation is investigating
Hans Niemann accuses his detractors of having acted in a concerted manner out of financial interest.
If he admitted having cheated on chess.com twice, when he was 12 and 16 years old, he denies having continued and said he was “
ready to play naked
” to demonstrate it.
The platform, which has now banned it, for its part said it was “
saddened
” by the procedure launched by Hans Niemann.
“
We believe that his complaint harms the game of chess and its dedicated players and fans around the world
,” she commented, also deeming it “
unfounded
”.
This civil remedy must be tried in a federal court in Missouri.
For its part, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) has opened an investigation to shed light on the case.
