Magnus Carlsen (left) at the World Rapid and Blitz 2022. Hans Niemann at the Riga Grand Swiss tournament. (PHOTOS: FIDE/Lennart Ootes, Anna Shtourman)
American grandmaster Hans Niemann threw down the gauntlet on Thursday, challenging the world’s top 2 players, Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, for an over-the-board blitz chess match.
Niemann said he was willing to put as much as $1 million at stake to play against both players but demanded formal apology from Carlsen and Nakamura for their “false accusations” that Niemann had cheated.
“As the No 1 blitz player on Chess.com, I challenge the No 2 and No 3 players to an OTB (over-the-board) blitz match to decide who the best player in the world is. I am willing to put up anywhere from 1 to $1 million. If they are too afraid of the challenge, I expect them to retract all false accusations and issue a formal apology,” Hans Niemann posted on X.
Hans Niemann and Magnus Carlsen were involved in a lawsuit after Magnus Carlsen had pulled out of the 2022 Sinquefield Cup after losing to Hans Niemann. There were allegations that Niemann was cheating, which were never proved. While the lawsuit was later settled, Hans Niemann has frequently trained his guns on Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura.
Recently, Carlsen defeated Niemann in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship before making a “what’s the fuss” gesture at the camera and then banging his piece on the board.
When Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi agreed to share the World Blitz Championship title, Hans Niemann was one of the most vocal voices criticising the move.
“The chess world is officially a joke. THIS HAS NEVER BEEN DONE IN HISTORY. I can’t believe that the official body of chess is being controlled by a singular player FOR THE 2ND TIME THIS WEEK. THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE WORLD CHAMPION! (sic)” Niemann had posted on his X handle. He had also gone on a tirade on his X handle after that.
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