Hans Niemann, the controversial US 21-year-old, has been in London as his “Niemann v the world” series against European grandmasters continued with a match against the England No 1 and former Russian Nikita Vitiugov.
Niemann won the first classical game in 48 moves, playing an impressive Anatoly Karpov style strategic attack. But in game two, after creating a winning position, he had to settle for a drawn rook ending. Games three and four were also drawn.
The $20,000 match had six classical games followed by six rapid games. Niemann became famous after the 2022 Sinquefield Cup in St Louis, where he defeated the then world champion Magnus Carlsen and triggered cheating allegations, a $100m lawsuit, and an enduring hostility between the pair which remains unresolved. It is now generally accepted that there…
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Guardian Weekly (Digital) - 1 Issue, 23 August 2024