What is Hans Niemann’s net worth?
Hans Niemann is an American chess grandmaster who has a net worth of $3 million. Hans won his grandmaster title in 2021.
The world of professional chess turned into a heated battleground this week after world champion Magnus Carlsen accused teen grandmaster Hans Niemann of repeatedly cheating and refusing to play against the 19-year-old American player.
Carlsen made these accusations via Twitter after previously losing to Niemann in the 2022 Sinquefield Cup and withdrawing during another game during the Julius Baer Generation Cup.
For readers unfamiliar with Niemann, he has made a name for himself by becoming one of the youngest American grandmasters of a generation.
Yet, his rise to fame has been controversial, leading many to question his mastery and performance.
From Self-Taught Chess Prodigy to a Pupil of the U.S. Chess School
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Hans Niemann was born June 20, 2003, in San Francisco, California.
At the age of five, Niemann learned to play chess from his father, and by age 10, he’d honed his skills to a professional level, earning himself a spot within the top 2,000 players.
This allowed Niemann to apply and enter the U.S. Chess School training camp, where he studied under Greg Shahade and John Bartholomew.
That same year, he went on to become the youngest player to ever win the Tuesday Night Marathon at the Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club. For his victory, he earned the title of USCF Master.
Niemann then continued to excel in high-profile tournaments around the world before finally earning the title of FIDE Grandmaster in 2021.
Niemann’s Profile Continues to Grow Via Twitch
In recent years, Niemann has continued to expand his profile, mostly through online streaming on Twitch.
For those unfamiliar, Twitch is a live-streaming platform that’s primarily used by gamers, but it’s also become popular among chess players as a way to commentate on their games in real-time.
This has allowed Niemann to gain a following of over 59,000 people.
While Niemann’s success and popularity are undeniable, some within the chess community have questioned his methods.
In particular, his use of computer programs to train and his willingness to take short draws have been scrutinized.
In the past, Niemann has even been accused of cheating in online tournaments by fellow Grandmaster, Hikaru Nakamura—accusations to which he has already admitted. However, Niemann remains adamant that he has never cheated in a live, over-the-board tournament.
Magnus Carlsen Leaves a Cryptic Message After Losing to Niemann in 2022
After earning the title of Grandmaster in 2021, Niemann was slated to go head-to-head against reigning World Champion, Magnus Carlsen in the 2022 Sinquefield Cup.
During their third-round showdown, Niemann pulled off a surprise victory over Carlsen, despite displaying a lack of concern or even care while playing with black.
Following his loss, Carlsen then took to Twitter, posting an unusual video hinting at foul play.
Although the video only showed a short clip of José Mourinho stating that if he speaks, he gets into trouble, many longtime chess fans took it to indicate that Carlsen was keeping mum about something gone afoul.
These fears were then only amplified in the next round of the tournament when Niemann was met with tighter security checks.
Niemann is Explicitly Called Out for Cheating After the 2022 Julius Baer Generation Cup
Hans Niemann and Magnus Carlsen would meet again during the 2022 Julius Baer Generation Cup however, this time, Carlsen would abandon the game entirely after playing just a single move.
After receiving a reprimand from the FIDE, Carlsen posted an explanation on Twitter, directly accusing Niemann of cheating.
His claim lacked any substantiated evidence but referred to Niemann’s past admissions to cheating in online games.
Niemann responded to the accusations, stating that they were false and that he would be willing to strip naked during his next match to disprove theories about anal beads sending Morse Codes to help him win.
“I am m not going to let chess.com, I’m not going to let Magnus Carlsen, I’m not going to let Hikaru Nakamura — the three arguably biggest entities in chess simply slander my reputation,” Niemann also said.
Where is Niemann’s Career heading?
As of now, the FIDE has not taken any action against Niemann, and the accusations remain unsubstantiated. However, the voice of the chess world has been split on the matter, with some siding with Niemann and others, like Carlsen, convinced of his guilt.
Only time will tell if any concrete evidence will emerge to support Carlsen’s claims.
Defamation Lawsuit
On October 20, 2022, Niemann filed a defamation lawsuit against Daniel Rensch, the Play Magnus Group, Chess.com, Hikaru Nakamura, and Magnus Carlsen. The lawsuit was dismissed in June 2023.
In August 2023, chess.com said the parties had agreed to move forward.
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Net Worth 2024
So, how much is Hans Niemann worth? Niemann earned most of his wealth from his career as a professional chess player. Therefore, Hans Niemann has an estimated net worth of $3 million.
Hans became a GM on January 22, 2021. He also streams on Twitch.
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I am Bulgarea Candin Stefan, and I founded FamousPeopleToday.com in 2018. I’m using my bachelor’s degree in economics and 9 years of experience in blogging to guide millions of people through the incredibly complex world of celebrity net worths.