POTENTIAL REMATCH?

Wacky Chess Cheating Scandal Ends With Grandmaster’s Reinstatement

The saga, which included accusations of vibrating anal beads and more, has finally come to a close—at least in court.

Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann had his Chess.com account reinstated Monday, with the website announcing the mega scandal involving it, Niemann, and World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen had finally ended—at least in court. Chess.com announced that it’d found no evidence Niemann cheated in a win over Carlsen last year—putting wild accusations to bed, including theories parroted by Elon Musk and others that Niemann somehow used vibrating anal beads to cheat during an in-person match. Carlsen conceded the same this week, saying there was no “determinative evidence” of cheating by Niemann—a 180 from a series of fiery allegations he fired off claiming otherwise last year. Carlsen said he’d be willing to face off against Niemann again, and Chess.com said in a statement it’s “pleased” to report that the trio has put their differences behind them and agreed to drop any future litigation. The reinstatement comes two months after a federal judge dismissed a $100 million defamation lawsuit filed by Niemann against Chess.com, Carlsen, and others who’d accused him of cheating.