Twitch streamer Andra Botez was as astonished as anyone when she saw the news that Hans Niemann had filed a lawsuit against chess Grandmasters Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Chess.com for slander and libel over their assertions that he had cheated in several tournaments.
She exclaimed in shock on her stream on October 21st; “Wait, is he suing? Wow! Wait! He is suing Hikaru too? Damn!”
Botez is happy that despite being a well-liked community member and an avid chess player, she never “stepped into this drama.” She yet continued to assert that she believes the lawsuit is a power play. She said; “I guess Hikaru kind of stirred up a little bit of the insinuations at the beginning, but that is a bold move. I feel like this is honestly just a flex. I feel like even if the lawsuit fails, this is just like a big flex!”
Botez said that by remaining out of it, she and her sister Alexandra “dodged a bullet.” To compensate for the “devastating damages that defendants have inflicted upon his reputation, career, and life by egregiously defaming him and unlawfully colluding to blacklist him from the profession to which he has dedicated his life,” Niemann is requesting more than $100 million in damages.
The St. Louis Chess Club and the Sinquefield Cup, which Carlsen first accused the 19-year-old of cheating in, were held in Missouri, where the complaint was brought by the young man.
Chess.com denied the charges. An attorney for them stated, “There is no merit to Hans’ allegations, and Chess.com looks forward to setting the record straight on behalf of its team and all honest chess players,” To address the situation, Carlsen and Nakamura have not yet made a comment.