Hans Niemann Probably Cheated in More Than 100 Chess Games, Investigation Finds

A Chess.com investigation concluded that U.S. teenage prodigy Hans Niemann had likely received illegal assistance in many matches, including as recently as 2020.

Credit: Instagram / Hans Niemann
Credit: Instagram / Hans Niemann

A Chess.com investigation released Tuesday concluded that U.S. teenage prodigy Hans Niemann has “likely cheated online” in more than 100 matches hosted by the website.

The platform, which is the world’s most popular site for online chess, found that Niemann had likely received illegal assistance in many matches, including as recently as 2020. The 19-year-old had reportedly already confessed to cheating to Chess.com officials privately, leading to him being banned from the site for some time. The full 72-page report was released days after world chess champion Magnus Carlsen called out Niemann for alleged foul play. The report stops short of saying Niemann has cheated during in-person games, saying in Chess.com's view “there is a lack of concrete statistical evidence.”

The Niemann cheating scandal first gained traction after the teenager defeated 31-year-old Carlsen in a match at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis. The two met up in another match weeks later, but Carlsen suddenly resigned in that match after making only one move. The Norwegian chess champion later released a statement explaining his decision, accusing the teenager of cheating “more―and more recently―than he has publicly admitted.”