ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Chess prodigy Hans Niemann has resolved a dispute with opponent Magnus Carlsen and platform Chess.com over the so-called “anal beads cheating” scandal.
As XBIZ reported, last October rumors started swirling that Carlsen, the world’s top chess player, believed 19-year-old Niemann, a grandmaster, had cheated in a match-up between the two — with the help of an accomplice remotely buzzing vibrating anal beads to telegraph advantageous chess moves.
A later investigation by Chess.com stated that Niemann “likely received illegal assistance in more than 100 online games, as recently as 2020,” the Wall Street Journal reported. Niemann sued Carlsen and Chess.com, seeking $100 million for defaming him.
Chess.com announced Monday that the parties had reached a settlement, the New York Post reported. Chess.com added that Niemann “is now welcome to play at future events and his account has been reinstated.”
“I look forward to competing against Magnus in chess rather than in court,” Niemann said through a joint statement.
According to the Post, an official “used a metal detector to inspect Niemann’s rear” before he was allowed to play in the U.S. Chess Championships in St. Louis in October.
As part of the joint statement, Chess.com and Carlsen conceded “that there is no determinative evidence” that Niemann has cheated in any in-person games, including the game at the Sinquefield Cup that originated the controversy.
“I am willing to play Niemann in future events, should we be paired together,” Carlsen added.
Last month, Netherlands-based pleasure product company Kiiroo released concept designs for its upcoming release of vibrating chess-inspired butt plugs.
The devices were designed as a tribute to “the biggest alleged cheating scandal that sent shockwaves through the chess community late last year,” a rep explained.
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