Chess prodigy Hans Niemann accused of cheating with vibrating sex toy files $100M defamation suit
Now he’s got the legal world buzzing.
A teenage chess prodigy accused of cheating with vibrating “anal beads” is suing for $100 million — claiming he was defamed by his opponent and a major gaming institution, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.
Hans Niemann, 19, claims 31-year-old Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen lied by claiming he didn’t play fairly because he was furious the relative newcomer had beaten him unexpectedly at a major tournament in St. Louis, Missouri in September.
“Notorious for his inability to cope with defeat, Carlsen snapped,” the lawsuit declares — adding he “maliciously” plotted to ruin the younger player’s reputation.
“Enraged that the young Niemann, fully 12 years his junior, dared to disrespect the ‘King of Chess,’ and fearful that the young prodigy would further blemish his multi-million dollar brand by beating him again, Carlsen viciously and maliciously retaliated against Niemann,” the suit states.
Carlsen allegedly took to Twitter shortly after his defeat on Sept. 4, to spread “false accusations” that Niemann had cheated despite not having any evidence, according to the federal lawsuit, filed in Missouri.
The chess world exploded into such an uproar that Niemann began to face wild rumors he had used technology to cheat — including the claims he’d used a rectally inserted sex toy to signal winning moves during the match.
On October 6 at the US Chess Championships in St. Louis, an official even used a metal detector to inspect Niemann’s rear as he entered the tournament.
Carlsen’s tweet — a video of a soccer manager saying “If I speak, I am in big trouble” — only hinted at his opponent cheating, but led Chess.com to revoke Niemann’s invitation to its renowned Global Championship, according to the lawsuit, which also names Chess.com as a defendant.
“[The] defamation and unlawful collusion has, by design, destroyed Niemann’s remarkable career in its prime and ruined his life,” the suit declares.
After Niemann had been beaten by Carlsen they met at a rematch on September 19. However, Carlsen resigned from the match after one move, fuelling the rumors against Niemann.
Carlsen then formally accused Niemann of cheating on September 26, saying “Niemann has cheated more — and more recently — than he has publicly admitted.”
Niemann has previously admitted cheating when he was 12 and 16, but only in online matches.
The lawsuit doesn’t specifically mention the anal bead cheating allegations — but notes that some of “the world’s foremost experts in cheat detection, have uniformly confirmed that there is no evidence” Niemann cheated in any games against Carlsen.
The sex toy cheating rumors started with another chess grandmaster, Eric Hansen, who jokingly suggested Niemann must have had someone sending him vibrating signals through a wireless device in his butt on an online forum, and it quickly spread from there.
Last month, even billionaire Elon Musk weighed on the scandal, with a tweet mocking online rumors about the anal inserts.
“Talent hits a target no one else can hit, genius hits a target no one can see (cause it’s in ur butt),” the Tesla CEO tweeted on Sept. 8.
Niemann’s lawsuit also names Carlsen’s chess training firm Play Magnus and the Japanese-American chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura as defendants for allegedly playing a role in the defamation.
“Carlsen unleashed his media empire to fan the flames of [his] cheating accusations, drown out the legitimate evidence refuting them [and] blacklist Niemann from top-level chess tournaments,” the suit states.
It also states Niemann earned a scholarship to the Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School in New York City for chess and has “lived out of a suitcase, traveling the world to compete in chess tournaments.”
Niemann’s attorneys Terrence Oved and Darren Oved said: “This is not a game. Defendants have destroyed Niemann’s life simply because he had the talent, dedication and audacity to defeat the so-called ‘King of Chess.’ We will hold defendants fully accountable and expose the truth.”
A rep for Carlsen didn’t return The Post’s request for comment Thursday.