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Hans Niemann
Biography
Hans Niemann is an American grandmaster, awarded the title on 22 January 2021. He first drew notice as a teenager on the U.S. open circuit, winning the Texas State Amateur Championship in 2020 (6½/7) before taking the World Open in Philadelphia and the U.S. Junior Championship, both in 2021, the latter qualifying him for the U.S. Championship. He has since built a steady record of open-tournament wins, including the Uralsk Open, the Tournament of Peace and the Grenke Chess Open, and reached a peak FIDE rating of 2742 in May 2026.
Niemann drew national and international attention in September 2022 when he defeated Magnus Carlsen at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis; Carlsen withdrew from the event the following day, and weeks later stated publicly that he believed Niemann had cheated more, and more recently, than he had publicly admitted. Niemann filed a defamation lawsuit in October 2022 against Carlsen, Chess.com, Play Magnus Group and Hikaru Nakamura. The parties announced a settlement in August 2023, under which Chess.com reinstated Niemann's account and Carlsen acknowledged there was no determinative evidence that Niemann had cheated in that particular game.
In June 2026 the U.S. Chess Federation called Niemann up to the American squad for the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand alongside Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Awonder Liang — his first Olympiad selection. He had previously captained the U.S. team at the 2022 FIDE World Team Championship in Jerusalem, where the team did not advance past the group stage.
Key achievements
- World Open champion, Philadelphia, 2021
- U.S. Junior Champion, 2021
- Tournament of Peace winner, 2023 (8/9)
- Grenke Chess Open winner, 2024 (8/9)
- Selected for the U.S. Chess Olympiad team, Samarkand 2026 (first selection)
Ratings
| Date | Milestone | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2021 | Awarded the grandmaster title | — |
| May 2026 | Peak FIDE rating | 2742 |
| Sep 2026 | Current rating | 2725 |
Titles
| Title | Years | Count |
|---|---|---|
| GM | Grandmaster, awarded 22 Jan 2021 | — |
| Jr. Ch. | U.S. Junior Champion, 2021 | — |
Classical Tournaments
| Year | Tournament | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Texas State Amateur Championship (6½/7) | 1st |
| 2021 | World Open, Philadelphia (tiebreak) | 1st |
| 2021 | U.S. Junior Championship | 1st |
| 2023 | Las Vegas Super Swiss / 1000GM (tiebreak) | 1st |
| 2023 | Uralsk Open (7½/9) | 1st |
| 2023 | Tournament of Peace (8/9) | 1st |
| 2024 | Grenke Chess Open (8/9) | 1st |
Team Events
| Year | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | FIDE World Team Championship, Jerusalem — USA (captain) | Group stage |
| 2026 | Chess Olympiad, Samarkand — USA (selected, Sep 15–27) | Upcoming |
Niemann's first Chess Olympiad selection has not yet been played as of this writing (event scheduled 15–27 Sep 2026); no result is claimed for it.
Read more on Wikipedia or view his FIDE profile.