Controversial chess GM Hans Niemann announces battle against Carlsen's allies, Nakamura and Gotham Chess

American grandmaster Hans Niemann, who was once accused of cheating by world No.1 chess player Magnus Carlsen, has declared war against two of Norwegian’s closest allies – world No.3 Hikaru Nakamura and International Master Levy Rozman who also goes by the name ‘Gotham Chess’.

Niemann, who has constantly been at crossroads with Carlsen ever since the 2022 episode where the 34-year-old made cheating allegations against the 21-year-old American , said that his goal for the new year 2025 is to become the no.1 streamer in the chess world and then the number one player. He added that he wants to put Hikaru and Gotham Chess “in their place”.

“I shall return to streaming tomorrow for the Fischer 960 Qualifier,” Niemann said on X. “It’s time to put my fellow content creators and professional comrades: Hikaru and Gotham Chess in their place. My goal for 2025 is to be the #1 streamer, then #1 Chess Player.”

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I shall return to streaming tomorrow for the Fischer 960 Qualifier. It's time to put my fellow content creators and professional comrades: Hikaru and Gotham Chess in their place. My goal for 2025 is to be the #1 streamer, then #1 Chess Player.

— Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) January 7, 2025

Niemann launches campaign against Nakmura, Rozman

Before announcing that he would be returning to streaming, Niemann had also invited applications for a “chess revolution”.

“If you want to join the chess revolution DM me your resume, the powers at be are becoming a bit too comfortable,” he said on X on 5 January.

If you want to join the chess revolution DM me your resume, the powers at be are becoming a bit too comfortable.

— Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) January 4, 2025

Both Nakamura and Rozman (Gotham chess) are seen to be close friends with Carlsen. Nakamura had also accused Niemann of cheating against Carlsen in 2022. He has also never shied away from praising Carlsen and often appears on Carlsen’s Take Take Take app. Rozman (Gotham chess) was also the host recently on the Take Take Take app as Carlsen reviewed the matches of the World Chess Championship 2024 which was won by India's 18-year-old D Gukesh .

Nakamura and Rozman (Gotham Chess) are also some of the most popular chess streamers. While Nakamura’s YouTube and Twitch accounts have 2.7 million and 2 million subscribers respectively, Rozman (Gotham Chess)’s YouTube account alone has 5.83 million subscribers. He also has 1 million subscribers on Twitch.

It’s important to note that Niemann had very recently accused Carlsen of arm-twisting FIDE (International Chess Federation) and running his life after the Norwegian shared the Blitz title with Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Carlsen’s participation in the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships in New York last month was quite controversial as he was first disqualified for wearing jeans and later shared the Blitz title for the first time ever. However, a leaked video where he was seen discussing plans with Nepomniachtchi to play out draww in tie-breakers led to match-fixing allegations .

“You broke the rules on camera, you only thought they would agree to your proposal because you dropped out of the blitz and made ridiculous demands,” Niemann wrote on X while attacking Carlsen over his justification of the manner in which he shared the Blitz title. “FIDE will hopefully take a stand and remind us all that no player is above the game.

You broke the rules on camera, you only thought they would agree to your proposal because you dropped out of the blitz and made ridiculous demands. FIDE will hopefully take a stand and remind us all that no player is above the game. They failed to hold you accountable when you… https://t.co/qKJtsXOvj3

— Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) January 2, 2025

“They failed to hold you accountable when you tried to ruin my life, I hope they’ve learned their lesson," added Niemann.

What happened in 2022?

Magnus Carlsen had accused Niemann of cheating after losing to him at the Sinquefield Cup in 2022. The former world champion had also refused to play against Niemann in an online game a week after making the allegations and resigned from the match.

Niemann later filed a US$ 100 million lawsuit against Carlsen, Chess.com, and Nakamura, but all parties eventually settled for an out-of-court settlement.