All posts tagged: Hans Niemann

Gukesh’s struggle not a surprise for Niemann: ‘Never really best in the world’ | Chess News

Gukesh’s struggle not a surprise for Niemann: ‘Never really best in the world’ | Chess News

Published by Webster

5 min readJul 23, 2026 07:00 AM IST On a day where there was a lot to fight for at the Chennai Grand Masters tournament, the battle between Gukesh D and Hans Niemann was over before some of the other games had even entered the middlegame. An hour after the day’s early start-time of 2 pm, while everyone in the swanky Chennai hotel that serves as the tournament venue was focussed on the three games still raging in the playing hall, the world champion had already checked out of the hotel to go home. Niemann, on the other hand, was left lamenting his ability to accept a gift from the Indian. “I was surprised by the lack of ambition in Gukesh’s opening,” was the opening salvo from the blunt Niemann when he fronted the media at the end of his tournament. “Obviously, I understand the tournament situation very well, which is why he didn’t want to continue. But I don’t think I believed that I could have received such a ridiculous gift. It’s very rare …

Gukesh loses to Arjun Erigaisi in game that he was winning

Gukesh loses to Arjun Erigaisi in game that he was winning

Published by Webster

3 min readJul 20, 2026 09:23 PM IST After another day brought another defeat for the world champion there was one final act of cruelty that fate had in store for Gukesh D. He suffered his second loss at the Chennai Grand Masters 2026 tournament on Monday, losing to Arjun Erigaisi in a game that he was winning at one point but then allowed the game to equalise before resigning. When the game ended, a dejected Gukesh was mulling the loss in the lift back to his hotel floor. It was a moment where he would have wanted to be left completely alone. Instead, Erigaisi, the one man he would not have wanted if only for a few seconds, unwittingly entered the lift and the 20-year-old had to endure a few more seconds in the company of the man who had just compounded his misery. Monday’s defeat was Gukesh’s second in five rounds of his home tournament; he previously lost to Firouzja in round 2. All his other games have been draws. He now has …

Firouzja beats Pranesh to lead after Round 1

Firouzja beats Pranesh to lead after Round 1

Published by Webster

Alireza Firouzja emerged as the sole winner in the opening round of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026, defeating India’s Pranesh M with the black pieces to take the early lead in the elite chess tournament on Thursday. The French grandmaster outplayed the Challenger section winner from last year in a Sicilian Sveshnikov, gradually building an advantage before converting a complex endgame to secure the tournament’s only decisive result. The victory also pushed Firouzja back into the top 10 of the live world rankings. Gukesh, Arjun and Abdusattorov held to draws The remaining three games all ended in draws, though each featured tense battles. Reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju was forced to defend accurately against fellow Indian Nihal Sarin. Nihal created the better chances for much of the encounter, but Gukesh held firm to split the point. Top seed Nodirbek Abdusattorov also had to settle for a draw after coming under pressure against Hans Niemann. Playing with the white pieces, the Uzbek grandmaster adopted an experimental setup and spent much of the game defending a …

Cold start for Indians as Vidit suffers loss, Arjun held to draw

Cold start for Indians as Vidit suffers loss, Arjun held to draw

Published by Webster

3 min readNew DelhiJun 7, 2026 11:42 PM IST A cold day awaited the Indian players in Tashkent during the opening round of the 2026 Uzchess Masters. The highest-ranked Indian, Arjun Erigaisi, was held to a draw by the considerably lower-rated Shamsiddin Vokhidov, while the other Indian in the fray, Vidit Gujrathi, suffered a heavy blow at the hands of Shakhriyar Mamedyarov on Sunday. The Azerbaijani veteran Mamedyarov snatched the full point from the experienced Indian. He risked steering the game into an extremely complex middlegame, a gamble that worked perfectly in his favour. Mamedyarov induced errors from Vidit to gain an extra pawn in the rook endgame. Yet the position remained double-edged, where one misstep could render the extra pawn meaningless. Vidit fought valiantly for most of the endgame before a single lapse in judgment cost him the game. He failed to build a pawn fortress and eventually folded in 67 moves, after battling for over five hours. In the Arjun vs. Vokhidov clash, the 124-point Elo gap proved less decisive. In the Caro-Kann …

Gukesh’s day out in Warsaw: 2 blunders, 1 controversial moment and a lucky break | Chess News

Gukesh’s day out in Warsaw: 2 blunders, 1 controversial moment and a lucky break | Chess News

Published by Webster

5 min readMay 5, 2026 11:29 PM IST On a wild opening day at the Super Rapid and Blitz Poland tournament on Tuesday, world champion D Gukesh drew a game against Alireza Firouzja he was winning, then lost a game to Hans Niemann which was ambling towards a draw and finally ended his day by winning a game against Jan-Krzysztof Duda where he was under significant pressure. Three blunders — not all by Gukesh — decided the fortunes of the world champion on the first day of the rapid and blitz tournament in Warsaw. But the big talking point of the day came when the 19-year-old was locked in battle against Niemann in round 2. When making his knight hop on the e7 square on his 27th move, Gukesh, already under severe time trouble at that point, toppled over Niemann’s queen. When he tried to pick up the queen, he accidentally knocked over a pawn as well. With his time running down to just two seconds, Gukesh hit the clock to prevent himself from getting …

‘Hey Hans, chess mafia here!’

‘Hey Hans, chess mafia here!’

Published by Webster

3 min readMay 1, 2026 12:18 PM IST American grandmaster Hans Niemann taking a dig at the online chess platform Chess.com is nothing new. He has repeatedly referred to Chess.com, along with Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, as the “chess mafia,” a collusive power structure that he claims prioritises profits above all else and exerts control over the chess world. In the latest episode of Niemann taking on the so-called “chess mafia,” the American vented his frustrations after suffering technical issues during an online match played on Chess.com. But this time, Chess.com fired right back, trolling Niemann with a cheeky reply to his social media post on X: “Hey Hans, chess mafia here!” The drama began when Niemann posted on X, writing: “Chess mafia proctor is such a joke 0 point bye first round. Absolutely intolerable, will try to comeback with 0/1????!!” At the time, Niemann was playing Titled Tuesday, a weekly prize event hosted by Chess.com. He claimed he had been unfairly given zero points through no fault of his own. The “proctor” he …

Netflix’s ‘Untold: Chess Mates’ documentary into Carlsen-Niemann scandal opens old can of worms but says nothing new | Chess News

Netflix’s ‘Untold: Chess Mates’ documentary into Carlsen-Niemann scandal opens old can of worms but says nothing new | Chess News

Published by Webster

Magnus Carlsen wanted to go knock on Hans Niemann’s hotel door and confront the brash 19-year-old grandmaster. A few hours before he had experienced this rage within, the World No 1 had lost a game in a second consecutive tournament to Niemann, who was already bragging about replacing Carlsen at the top of the chess pyramid. In that game at the Sinquefield Cup, Carlsen felt like he was not playing a human adversary. Niemann was, in Carlsen’s assessment, many notches below him in the pecking order and yet was defeating him without expending too much effort. “Magnus talked about knocking on Hans’ door and asking him, ‘Tell me, what’s going on’?” Henrik Carlsen, Magnus’ father says in a new Netflix documentary ‘Untold: Chess Mates’. It digs into the 2022 chess cheating scandal, where Carlsen accused Niemann of winning by unfair means. The 74-minute-long documentary tries to unravel that very question four years after the controversy—what went on in that game between Niemann and Carlsen. And largely comes up with no new answers. Carlsen’s allegations were …

When a fan asked Hans Niemann for an autograph on the first page of a Magnus Carlsen book | Chess News

When a fan asked Hans Niemann for an autograph on the first page of a Magnus Carlsen book | Chess News

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: Apr 6, 2026 03:49 PM IST Hans Niemann is busy signing autograph standing behind a long table, when the bevy of fans around him all break into clipped smiles and side-eyes. The venue is the playing hall of the Grenke Chess Festival where both Niemann and Magnus Carlsen, have been camped for the 5-day Freestyle event, alongside other big names Levon Aronian and Vincent Keymer, Nodirbek Abdusattarov and Dronavalli Harika. The left-hander Niemann who has been embroiled in a beef with Carlsen, is surrounded on all sides, when a young fan hands over a thick book for him to sign. On a signing spree, Niemann scribbles his signature on the book,as per a reel posted by chesscomindia – chess24india footage. The edit pauses, zooming in on Niemann showing his tight jaw as he returns the book. Those around him can’t help breaking into grins, as chess’ modern day beefs get related instantly. The book is a Carlsen book, with his face on the cover and the cheeky fan, saunters back blending into …

‘The truth is upon us’: Hans Niemann says after Netflix reveals premiere date for Carlsen cheating scandal documentary | Chess News

‘The truth is upon us’: Hans Niemann says after Netflix reveals premiere date for Carlsen cheating scandal documentary | Chess News

Published by Webster

3 min readFeb 25, 2026 08:17 PM IST The Magnus Carlsen vs Hans Niemann cheating scandal is rearing its head again. This time, in the form of a documentary. Netflix has revealed that after nearly two years of following both players in the middle of the controversy the documentary will be releasing on April 7, with a trailer coming out on March 10. The documentary on the cheating scandal that rocked the sport and created global headlines will be part of the “Untold” series. Called “Untold: Chess Mates” the documentary will focus on Niemann picking up the pieces after Carlsen’s high-profile allegations of cheating levelled against him at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup. Carlsen had withdrawn from the tournament after a defeat to Niemann and then later levelled allegations against the American grandmaster, which had led to a $100 million lawsuit against Carlsen and others. The documentary focuses on a rematch that Carlsen and Niemann have months after the allegations. Both Carlsen and Niemann have been interviewed for the documentary while the Netflix crew has followed …