Magnus Carlsen vs Hans Niemann: For 1st time since cheating scandal, rivals play face to face, but in online event in Paris

Magnus Carlsen will take on Hans Niemann in Paris later on Friday in a grudge rematch after their acrimonious feud at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, which had led to unsubstantiated cheating allegations against Hans Niemann, and a $100m ­lawsuit from the American against the Norwegian.

Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann will face off in the semi-final of Chess dot com’s Speed Championship. The tournament’s previous rounds were played online. But the semi-finals and the final will be held across the board in a hybrid event where the opponents will sit opposite each other but play on separate computers. The other semi-final will see American GM Hikaru Nakamura take on French-Iranian star Alireza Firouzja.

Reacting to his opponent in the semi-final, Magnus Carlsen said that he would prefer a different ­opponent. “He’s playing quite well. But if I have a decent day I’ll probably win without too ­many issues,” he shrugged.

“I’m looking forward to playing in Paris. This whole thing started on a chess board and it should end on the chess board,” said Hans Niemann.

The Norwegian is the favourite heading into the match. He is the reigning world blitz champion, having won the title seven times. Hans Niemann is also considered a strong blitz player, and will have a point to prove.

While Magnus Carlsen is ranked No 1 in the world (rated 2832 in classical, 2834 in rapid and 2888 in blitz), Hans Niemann is No 16 in classical (rated 2733 in classical, 2618 in rapid and 2709 in blitz).

The other semi-final will see two of the strongest contenders in this format — Nakamura and Firouzja — battle it out.

Each match will have 90 minutes of 5+1 blitz, 60 minutes of 3+1 blitz, and 30 minutes of 1+1 bullet.

What was the cheating controversy regarding Hans Niemann?

World No 1 Magnus Carlsen had pulled out of the Sinquefield Cup two years ago after losing to Hans Niemann. While Magnus Carlsen did not directly accuse Hans Niemann of cheating, there were widespread claims that the then world champion believed that the American GM had cheated in their game. Chess dot com had later published a 72-page report where it stated that GM Hans Niemann “has likely cheated in more than 100 online chess games, including several prize money events.”

This had led Hans Niemann to file a $100m ­lawsuit which was later settled out of court.

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