In a Bitter Lawsuit, Chess Combatants Agree to a Draw

In the announcement of the settlement, Carlsen acknowledged that there was “no determinative evidence that Niemann cheated in his game against me at the Sinquefield Cup.” He added, “I am willing to play Niemann in future events.”

For his half, Niemann stated he was happy that the go well with had been resolved in a “mutually acceptable manner” and that he could be allowed to play once more on Chess.com, including, “I look forward to competing against Magnus in chess rather than in court.”

The announcement didn’t comprise an announcement from Nakamura.

The settlement might be not the final phrase on the controversy. As the assertion made clear, all events within the litigation will now be allowed to “talk openly about their views,” which means with out concern of authorized repercussions. It wouldn’t be stunning if folks within the chess world, together with Carlsen, Nakamura and Niemann, continued to weigh in.

In addition, there’s a looming investigation from the International Chess Federation, the sport’s governing physique, into the matter. The investigation, which reportedly went past the occasions on the event in St. Louis, was put collectively by a particular fee earlier this yr. A report was to have been launched in March, together with doable suggestions for sanctions towards the gamers concerned, however in May the federation postponed the discharge, citing its want to not be entangled within the litigation. At the time, the federation stated it might launch the report in October.

Efforts to achieve representatives of the federation had been unsuccessful.

In an e mail, Erik Allebest, a co-founder of Chess.com, wrote concerning the settlement and the choice to permit Niemann to as soon as once more compete on its website: “We believe the same as other professional leagues and governing bodies: that everyone deserves a second chance. We always strive to do what is best for chess, and we believe this decision to move forward together is good for the game.”