The new/old chess drama hit the chess world yesterday when the Saint Louis Chess Club announced that Hans Niemann will no longer be invited to their tournaments due to alleged inappropriate behavior (including private property damage, rude comments, and an uncooperative attitude). Niemann immediately responded, calling Saint Louis Chess Club’s claims ridiculous and that the statement is just ‘an excuse to blacklist one of America’s brightest talents’.
In the meantime, the Reddit ‘insider’ who claims to live in Saint Louis confirmed the Club’s allegations and said that Niemann completely destroyed his room in Saint Louis during the US Championship. Publishing a video where he fully addressed the case, Hans confirmed that he damaged some of the stuff in his room but that he paid the fine and apologized. He claims that damage in the hotel is not a real reason why Saint Louis Chess Club blacklisted him from their events.
Niemann now spoke again referring to Sinquefield Cup 2022: “I remember when one player didn’t fulfill their contractual obligations and then accused a player of cheating and proceeded to attempt to ruin their entire chess career based on vendetta“. He continued asking if the player was ever punished for the damage they caused and concludes: “See you at the US Championships. […] It is time to let the chess speak for itself and rise above all the noise”.
Social media is overwhelmed with reactions to the issue, and IM Levy Rozman published a video and shared his thoughts about it, while Hikaru Nakamura spoke about the new drama during his live stream.
