Magnus Carlsen And Hans Niemann Settle 'Cheating' Dispute, Do Not Mention 'Anal Beads' Regarding Wild Theory That Circulated Last Year

Nearly one full year since chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen heavily implied that Hans Niemann had cheated to defeat him at the September 2022 Sinquefield Cup, the two sides have reportedly settled their differences and expressed that they are ready to face each other in the future.

Yesterday, Chess.com put out a statement announcing that the site, Niemann and Carlsen have ended ongoing litigation between them. Carlsen's statement reads:

“I acknowledge and understand Chess.com’s report, including its statement that there is no determinative evidence that Niemann cheated in his game against me at the Sinquefield Cup. I am willing to play Niemann in future events, should we be paired together.”

The controversy rocked the chess world and the broader internet at the time because while Niemann is something of a notorious figure in chess and has admitted to cheating online in the past, no one could figure out how he could have cheated at the Sinquefield Cup, which featured heavy security.

This led to a far-fetched but prevalent theory that Niemann had supposedly inserted a device into his butt that would vibrate to inform him of the best possible move to make, but neither party ever acknowledged the idea.

Weeks after the controversial match, Carlsen formally accused Niemann of cheating. A week later, Chess.com released a report suggesting Niemann had cheated in over 100 matches on the platform, though Niemann admitted to only cheating in two.

Maintaining his innocence, Niemann sued Carlsen and Chess.com for $100 million on charges of defamation of character. A federal judge threw out the case in June, but Niemann expressed his intent to continue litigation. Yesterday's announcement put to bed arguably the biggest story to come out of the chess world in decades.

Now, Niemann will be allowed to return to Chess.com and seemed defiant in a Twitter video celebrating the agreement.

Did you miss me? pic.twitter.com/ofxZgtOrG6

— Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) August 29, 2023