Hans Niemann's Story NEVER Checked Out

I don't like bringing this up - but it's something that has been bugging me for almost 2 years.  After the Rd3 game vs Magnus at the Sinquefield cup (the one that sparked ALL the controversy), if you go back and watch Hans' post-game press-conference (still up on YT) he's laughing and nervously smiling as he tells the interviewer (don't want to bring that dude into the convo, if I can avoid it) that he was "miraculously" (he used miracle like 6 times to describe it) studying that PRECISE variation out to a depth of like 20 moves on the very morning of the game.  When the interviewer presses him "Really? I don't think Magnus has EVER played this variation before?  Why would you study this so deeply?"  Hans tells him: "No. No. He played it against So in the 2018 London Chess Classic.  Not only is that not true - neither Magnus nor Wesley even participated in the 2018 LCC.  Nor did Magnus play that variation EVER in 2018, in any event in London, ever against Wesley, and, as far as I can tell, Magnus had, just as the interviewer suggested, NEVER played that opening OTB against ANYONE.  If someone can find the game where Magnus had played that opening - I'm more than willing to admit that I'm wrong.  But, until someone shows me a game Magnus played in that line, I have to conclude that something nefarious happened there because Hans publicly stated that he was analyzing a game the morning of the infamous match that, as best I can tell, NEVER HAPPENED.  I encourage someone, everyone, ANYONE to fact-check me here.  I've done as much digging as I know how to do, and I can't get around the fact that Hans was telling the cameras 20 minutes after the game that he had prepared for it by studying a fictional game between So and Magnus from a tourney that neither one played in.

Hans would have lied and cheated too in the past.

Ok he's not an irreproachable person but I don't care he's 21 years old, he can change for the better and in the speed tournament he will be monitored in relation to cheating.

Well, my whole theory about that situation was: Hans was babbling on and on in his post-game presser about having studied a game that was never actually played, and that's how he "miraculously" knew 20 moves of theory in that exact line... it made me suspect that he might have some how got his hands on some of Magnus' prep and got confused by the labels on it and thought that a line Magnus had been prepping for Wesley was actually a game that the two of them had played. The other thing that made me think that was what had triggered Magnus was he was acting cold towards Hans during the FTX crypto cup (the event right before the '22 Sinquefield) and Hans was playing some strange lines against him in their two games there. Hans was subbed into the Sinquefield at the very last minute and the internet rumor (for what those are worth; although I think some people did confirm this... possibly even in the Chess.com report or article) that Magnus was considering dropping out of the Sinquefield as soon as Hans was announced for it. Magnus never really went on record saying that Hans was cheating OTB - I've just always wondered if Magnus figured out, from Hans playing 3 consecutive games of his own home-cooking, that Hans must have somehow gotten ahold of his prep. It would certainly explain the bizarre story he was telling in the post-game presser.... cuz I really can't find ANY game that would make his story of having been studying it from a previous game plausible.

This is the opening that Hans said IMMEDIATELY after the game that he had prepped ALL of (he said he had gone even deeper than this). And he said he studied it because Magnus had played it versus Wesley in 2018. I don't think ANY such game was EVER played by Magnus. But, I'm begging someone with a more complete database than mine to find the game that proves me wrong. If there is a game Magnus played in a line that is even CLOSE to this, okay: I'll believe there wasn't anything fishy going on. Until then, I have to believe that Hans was doing something, even if it wasn't exactly cheating (stealing or "borrowing" prep has been going on since the beginning of competitive chess)... but, there's a bunch of things that just don't add up about his story

Yea, give Hans a break. He already has gone through a lot in the past 2 years

my opinion is the truth is in the middle.

Hans did not cheat in that game, but may have had some leak of Magnus' prep, as some leak happened in Ding vs Nepo, these things may happen.

Combined with the fact that Hans cheated in the past, plays mind games and is very competitive and not so respectful, and probably cheated online in more instances than he admitted...

So Magnus decided to try to destroy his career not because he actually thought he cheated in that game, but because Magnus was annoyed with the paranoia people face in general when playing people like him, people who are suspicious.

So it's more about Magnus' paranoia and suspicion, which is understandable.

That being said, there is a problem that Magnus "is" the institution, and a player... so because he's so involved with chess.com, and he's the GOAT, it's not as if Magnus attacked Hans, it's as if the entire chess institution attacked Hans, which may be unfair. chess.com is definitely "too powerful", but I guess that's just capitalism, which I think is better than communism

my 2 cents

This should be the game in question. It was played in 2019. Hans probably just misremembered. https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1981206

I'm, so tired of this topic in regard to Hans. He more than earned his successes in chess. Do you really believe that with the level of scrutiny he has had put on him that he would ever do anything toward? He is simply a great player and Magnus is human...

Heck I don't even like Hans and feel for him...

Same, it has to be rough for the world to turn on you as a 19-year-old rising chess player.