 "Hans Niemann will compete in the Freestyle Chess Las Vegas event final against Levon Aronian. Image: Freestyle Chess")
Controversial American Grandmaster Hans Niemann has hit back at the critics who have accused him of “hate-watching” Magnus Carlsen’s defeat to Levon Aronian as the world No.1 was eliminated from the title race at the Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam. Niemann was seen celebrating Carlsen’s downfall as he let out animated expressions while being in the commentary booth with GM David Howell and IM Tania Sachdev.
“There are very few pleasures in life that compare to this feeling,” Niemann had said in the commentary booth as Aronian defeated Carlsen in the fourth-spot tie-breaker. “You know what they say, karma is a…. I don’t want to finish the sentence. Levon, I’m taking you to dinner tonight,” he added.
Niemann slams Carlsen’s fans
With a defeat to Aronian, Carlsen was relegated to the Lower Bracket quarter-finals and his fans vented out their frustration on Niemann and his celebrations. The 22-year-old Niemann has now hit out at the fans for making accusations against him and reminding them of his struggles since he was labelled a cheat by Carlsen. “If you think I was hate watching yesterday, what would you call what I’ve experienced the past three years?” Niemann wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Niemann, who was accused of cheating over the board by Carlsen in 2022 at the Sinquefield Cup, has enjoyed a highly successful tournament in Las Vegas, reaching the final of the Freestyle Chess event, a tournament which is co-owned by Carlsen.
Niemann defeated fellow American GM Fabiano Caruana 2.5-1.5 in the semi-finals, scripting a memorable run and upsetting the odds. He is set to face Aronian in the mega final. Aronian reached the final by defeating Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi in the semis.
Carlsen, however, is still fighting for the third spot, despite being put out of the title race. Carlsen defeated India’s R Praggnanandhaa and Erigaisi in classification matches to qualify for the third spot against Hikaru Nakamura. The winner will take home a mega prize of $100,000.
The winner of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Las Vegas leg will earn $200,000.