チェス不正疑惑で１億ドルの賠償訴訟、米裁判所が訴え棄却

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】チェス選手のハンズ・ニーマン（米国）が、自身の不正疑惑を告発した元世界王者のマグヌス・カールセン（ノルウェー）らに名誉を毀損（きそん）されたとして、１億ドル（約１４４億円）の損害賠償を求めて訴訟を起こした件で、米ミズーリ州の裁判所は２７日、訴えを棄却した。（写真はチェス選手のハンズ・ニーマン〈左〉）
　チェス史上最大のスキャンダルとも言われる問題の発端は、２０２２年９月５日にミズーリ州セントルイスで行われた大会でニーマンがカールセンに勝利したことだった。
　世界チェス選手権で通算５度の優勝を誇るカールセンは対局後、２０歳の新星ニーマンの不正を訴え、大会を棄権。その後、グランドマスターのヒカル・ナカムラもカールセンに同調し、チェスの世界的オンラインプラットフォームであるｃｈｅｓｓ．ｃｏｍは、ニーマンが少なくとも１００回はオンラインで不正をした可能性があると指摘した。
　ニーマンは１２～１６歳のときにｃｈｅｓｓ．ｃｏｍで不正をしたと認めたが、その後も続けたことは否定し、自身の実力を証明するために「裸になる」覚悟はできていると主張している。騒動後もニーマンは大会に出場しているが、世界ランキングは落としている。
　この問題については、国際チェス連盟も昨年９月に調査を開始している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/06/28-17:10）

A US federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by chess player Hans Niemann, who was seeking $100 million from those who accused him of cheating, including former world champion Magnus Carlsen.
We are pleased the Court has rejected Hans Niemann's attempt to recover an undeserved windfall in Missouri federal court, said Craig Reiser, Carlsen's attorney.
The 20-year-old American, hailed as a prodigy by those close to him, had filed a suit for libel in a Missouri state court in a case that shook the chess world and has gripped millions of Internet users.
It all started on September 5, 2022, when Niemann defeated Carlsen in the Sinquefield Cup, an annual chess tournament held in St. Louis, Missouri.
The 32-year-old Norwegian Carlsen, a five-time world champion, then withdrew from the tournament with a bang, accusing his opponent of cheating.
His claims were later echoed by international grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura and the world's leading online chess platform, chess.com, suggesting that Niemann had likely cheated at least 100 times online.
Niemann has admitted to cheating on chess.com when he was between 12 and 16 years old, but denies having continued and said he was ready to strip naked to prove his skill.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) opened an investigation last September into the affair, described by many as one of the biggest scandals in the history of chess.
Since it broke out, Niemann has continued to play in tournaments, although he has lost some ground in international rankings.
Carlsen decided not to play in the last world chess championships in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, which saw the crowning of the Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren against the Russian Ian Nepomnyachi.
Carlsen is still considered the greatest chess player of the 21st century.