Chess grandmaster settles dispute with US prodigy who he accused of cheating leading to bizarre anal beads theory

29 August 2023, 22:33

A chess grandmaster who accused a novice who beat him of cheating has settled a legal dispute after the claims led to speculation that the young US player was using anal beads to gain an advantage.

Norwegian champion Magnus Carlsen accused American challenger Hans Niemann of cheating after his shock loss in last September's Sinquefield Cup.

Niemann launched a lawsuit against Chess.com, Carlsen, and another grandmaster after he was unceremoniously booted off the famous chess website following a report claiming he could have cheated in up to 100 games.

The row led to outlandish online speculation that Niemann was using vibrating anal beads inside his body - which were said to be operated by a third party who had access to a computer.

After the defamation lawsuit was thrown out last year, out-of-court negotiations have been ongoing to settle the high-profile row, which have now borne fruit.

The $100million (£79million) suit was filed last October and thrown out months later.

"Since June, both sides have negotiated privately in a good-faith effort to resolve their issues and allow the chess world to move forward without further litigation," Chess.com said in a statement on Monday.

"We are happy to share that all sides have reached an agreement."

It added that Mr Niemann was welcome to play at "any and all events... and will be treated no differently from any other player".

Carlsen welcomed the agreement and endorsed the report "including its statement that there is no determinative evidence" of cheating by Niemann.

The world number one said he would be "willing to play Niemann in future events, should we be paired together".