Hans Niemann breaks silence on sudden exit from Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam: ‘Usual suspects within chess mafia...'

American Grandmaster Hans Niemann had staged a last-minute withdrawal from the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, where his face-off against world No 1 Magnus Carlsen was among the biggest talking points in the build-up to the event. Niemann, however, did not provide any explanation for his sudden withdrawal on the even of the tournament and his silence only served to fuel rumours.

Norwegian broadcaster TV 2 claiming he was spooked by the heightened anti-cheating measures that were introduced for the second leg of the inaugural Grand Slam Tour. Freestyle Chess co-founder Jan Henric Buettner chose not to speculate over Niemann’s withdrawal but confirmed the introduction of new anti-cheating measures.

‘Deeply frustrated by the organizers’ and TV2’s absurd speculation’

Niemann, who had been accused of cheating by Carlsen in one of the biggest controversies in chess history, finally broke his silence on his Paris withdrawal on Monday.

“Now that some of the dust has settled, I want to address my withdrawal from Paris. I didn’t immediately issue a public statement because, frankly, I was deeply frustrated by the organizers’ and TV2’s absurd speculation suggesting my decision was linked to what they dramatically called “new, advanced anti-cheating measures,” world No 20 Niemann wrote on X.

“The article falsely claimed that the last message I received referenced “enhanced measures.” To be absolutely clear—this is completely false. Unsurprisingly, the usual suspects within the chess mafia eagerly amplified this ridiculous narrative. At the time, I believed publicly responding would only legitimize accusations that have no basis in reality.

“I withdrew from the tournament strictly for personal reasons that I prefer not to disclose publicly right now. What’s been particularly disappointing is witnessing how quickly some people jumped on this moment to perpetuate three years of baseless accusations against me. I genuinely wonder when they’ll finally accept reality,” the 21-year-old, who has a FIDE Classical rating of 2736, added.

Now that some of the dust has settled, I want to address my withdrawal from Paris. I didn't immediately issue a public statement because, frankly, I was deeply frustrated by the organizers' and TV2’s absurd speculation suggesting my decision was linked to what they dramatically…

— Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) May 5, 2025

Freestyle Chess organisers announced Uzbekistani GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov as Niemann’s replacement after the latter’s withdrawal. Carlsen would go on to win the Paris leg of the Grand Slam Tour after defeating world No 2 Hikaru Nakamura in a dream final, while India’s Arjun Erigaisi impressed on Freestyle debut by finishing fifth.

Also Read | Niemann questions Nakamura using headphones during prize money tournaments

Niemann, however, would make his Freestyle Chess debut at the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open last month, where he finished 33rd while Carlsen won the event with a perfect score of 9/9.

Niemann provides update on polygraph test

Niemann was also in the news for his 18-game blitz face-off against Russian Grandmaster Daniil Dubov recently, in which the loser had to answer one question while undergoing a polygraph test, also known as a lie-detector test.

Dubov defeated Niemann by a 9.5-8.5 scoreline in the match that took place right after the Aeroflot Open in the first week of March, only for the latter to perform a U-turn and back out from undergoing the test.

In his post, Niemann added that the polygraph test was cancelled due to “logistical reasons”, adding that he will be undergoing the test “very soon”.

“A quick note regarding the polygraph: the initial test was canceled for logistical reasons, but after traveling, I have now arranged to complete it very soon. I am taking this polygraph solely because it was a condition of the match—not because I have anything to prove.

“Every single official chess organization has repeatedly affirmed that attempts to question my legitimacy as a player are malicious, baseless, and entirely absurd. The only thing left for me to prove is that I can become the World Chess Champion,” Niemann further wrote in the post.