American chess grandmaster Hans Niemann is suing his rival Magnus Carlsen for at least $100 million after the Norwegian world champion accused him of cheating.
In an ongoing scandal that has rocked the chess world, Niemann is also suing the Chess.com website, which published a report saying he had likely cheated in more than 100 online games.
Niemann says the defendants colluded to destroy his reputation and livelihood.
Lawyers for Magnus Carlsen and Chess.com dismissed the charges.
In his filing, the 19-year-old Niemann accuses Carlsen of launching a smear campaign against him in collaboration with Carlsen’s online chess company, Play Magnus, and Chess.com, which agreed to buy Play Magnus.
He is seeking compensation “to recover from the devastating damage the defendants have inflicted on his reputation, career and life by flagrantly defaming him and unlawfully colluding to blacklist him from the profession to which he has dedicated his life.” says the lawsuit.
An attorney representing Carlsen called the claims “baseless.”
“Hans Niemann has an admitted history of cheating and his lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt to shift the blame onto others,” he said.
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