A Missouri federal court on Tuesday, June 27, dismissed US chess prodigy Hans Niemann’s $100-million defamation lawsuit alleging Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and Chess.com falsely accused him ofUS District Court Judge Audrey Fleissig rejected Niemann’s claims that Carlsen and Chess.com broke antitrust laws by colluding to exclude him from lucrative tournaments.
An attorney for Carlsen, the highest-ranked chess player in history, said in a statement that the court rejected Niemann’s bid to recover an “underserved windfall in Missouri federal court” and chill free speech “through strategic litigation in that forum.” The legal battle stems from Niemann’s upset victory over Carlsen at a tournament in St. Louis, Missouri, in September 2019 and Carlsen’s subsequent claims that Niemann had cheated, allegations Niemann denies.