Today, Hans Niemann announced that he passed the polygraph test, that he was supposed to take long time ago. “Polygraph finished, passed on all fronts. Have you ever cheated over the board? No. Verdict: True,” says Hans Niemann.

Niemann also challenges Dubov to a rematch, saying, “I think it’s time for a rematch with Dubov. I’ll be in Moscow again in 2 weeks!”

05.04. Norwegian TV reports that Niemann is withdrawing after he was informed about anti-cheating
05.04 Breaking: Hans Niemann withdraws from Freestyle Chess Paris 2025 (rolling updates)
06.04 Reactions to Hans Niemann withdrawing from Paris Freestyle Chess 2025
06.04 Chess Song: Disappearing stars (Hans Niemann & Alireza Firouza) #TweetOftheDay
06.04 The organizer of Freestyle Chess Paris comments on the withdraw of Hans Niemann
17.04 Hans Niemann shows at round 1 of Grenke Chess after 12 days radio silence
17.04. Round 1 pairings of Grenke with Hans Niemann playing
19.04 Interview with Hans Niemann at Grenke
21.04 Vladimir Kramnik is the bodyguard of Hans Niemann (Video interview)
05.05. Hans Niemann talks on his withdrawal from Paris Freestyle 2025

05.04. Norwegian TV reports that Niemann is withdrawing after he was informed about anti-cheating
05.04 Breaking: Hans Niemann withdraws from Freestyle Chess Paris 2025 (rolling updates)
06.04 Reactions to Hans Niemann withdrawing from Paris Freestyle Chess 2025
06.04 Chess Song: Disappearing stars (Hans Niemann & Alireza Firouza) #TweetOftheDay
06.04 The organizer of Freestyle Chess Paris comments on the withdraw of Hans Niemann
17.04 Hans Niemann shows at round 1 of Grenke Chess after 12 days radio silence
17.04. Round 1 pairings of Grenke with Hans Niemann playing
19.04 Interview with Hans Niemann at Grenke
21.04 Vladimir Kramnik is the bodyguard of Hans Niemann (Video interview)
05.05. Hans Niemann talks on his withdrawal from Paris Freestyle 2025

Hans Niemann statement on his withdrawal from Paris Freestyle 2025

Now that some of the dust has settled, I want to address my withdrawal from Paris. I didn’t immediately issue a public statement because, frankly, I was deeply frustrated by the organizers’ and TV2’s absurd speculation suggesting my decision was linked to what they dramatically called “new, advanced anti-cheating measures.”

The article falsely claimed that the last message I received referenced “enhanced measures.” To be absolutely clear—this is completely false. Unsurprisingly, the usual suspects within the chess mafia eagerly amplified this ridiculous narrative. At the time, I believed publicly responding would only legitimize accusations that have no basis in reality.

I withdrew from the tournament strictly for personal reasons that I prefer not to disclose publicly right now. What’s been particularly disappointing is witnessing how quickly some people jumped on this moment to perpetuate three years of baseless accusations against me. I genuinely wonder when they’ll finally accept reality.

A quick note regarding the polygraph: the initial test was canceled for logistical reasons, but after traveling, I have now arranged to complete it very soon. I am taking this polygraph solely because it was a condition of the match—not because I have anything to prove. Every single official chess organization has repeatedly affirmed that attempts to question my legitimacy as a player are malicious, baseless, and entirely absurd. The only thing left for me to prove is that I can become the World Chess Champion.

Lastly, despite being wrongfully blacklisted by my own country and unfairly excluded from almost every major tournament, my passion and love for chess remain stronger than ever. I deeply regret not being able to compete in Paris and cherish every chance I get to play at the highest level. I look forward to letting my chess speak for itself, and I sincerely hope my relentless detractors can finally leave their misguided hatred behind.

End of statement

While Niemann’s appearance after 12 days of radio silence was the key motif of the first rounds, chess spoke for itself and Carlsen’s performance acted like a magnet for all media covering the event.

Niemann himself finished with a lower than expected score, but he was followed by a team of Netflix, who are shooting yet another episode of Netflix UNTOLD 2025 – Carlsen – Niemann story. This will be an ongoing story, here is a timeline of the events so far:

05.04. Norwegian TV reports that Niemann is withdrawing after he was informed about anti-cheating
05.04 Breaking: Hans Niemann withdraws from Freestyle Chess Paris 2025 (rolling updates)
06.04 Reactions to Hans Niemann withdrawing from Paris Freestyle Chess 2025
06.04 Chess Song: Disappearing stars (Hans Niemann & Alireza Firouza) #TweetOftheDay
06.04 The organizer of Freestyle Chess Paris comments on the withdraw of Hans Niemann
17.04 Hans Niemann shows at round 1 of Grenke Chess after 12 days radio silence
17.04. Round 1 pairings of Grenke with Hans Niemann playing
19.04 Interview with Hans Niemann at Grenke
21.04 Vladimir Kramnik is the bodyguard of Hans Niemann (Video interview)

Hans Niemann notes the importance of Grenke, “For the fans it is a great experience, I have to sign pictures and give autographs here more than any other tournament of the year”

In this interview Fiona Steil-Antoni asks what is the role of Vladimir Kramnik. Hans Niemann’s answer is not a surprise.

Hans Niemann in conversation with Fiona Steil-Antoni

Hans Niemann withdrew last minute from Paris Freestyle 2025. The news came right after the official technical meeting on April 5 at 19:00 CET.“Personal reasons” was the official reason given by the organizers for the withdraw of Niemann from Paris Freestyle. Since then he disappeared off the radar, without a single message or explanation. That was until he showed up at R1 of Grenke.

05.04. Norwegian TV reports that Niemann is withdrawing after he was informed about anti-cheating
05.04 Breaking: Hans Niemann withdraws from Freestyle Chess Paris 2025 (rolling updates)
06.04 Reactions to Hans Niemann withdrawing from Paris Freestyle Chess 2025
06.04 Chess Song: Disappearing stars (Hans Niemann & Alireza Firouza) #TweetOftheDay
06.04 The organizer of Freestyle Chess Paris comments on the withdraw of Hans Niemann
17.04 Hans Niemann shows at round 1 of Grenke Chess after 12 days radio silence
17.04. Round 1 pairings of Grenke with Hans Niemann playing
19.04 Interview with Hans Niemann at Grenke

Upcoming Netflix UNTOLD episode this April

Netflix UNTOLD 2025 will take a look at the chess cheating scandal Carlsen – Niemann. “All-new films for UNTOLD are coming in 2025 — including the 2009 locker room gun incident between Washington Wizards players Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton; the chess grandmaster cheating scandal; and the Liver King’s steroid scandal,” says the official announcement of Netflix. The episode Carlsen – Niemann on Netflix is scheduled for April and will be aired soon. Full info here

But there is more: Netflix have already predicted the success of the episode Carlsen – Niemann, even before airing. At this moment they are collecting material for Episode 2. More information about this, soon on Chessdom.

More about Grenke Chess 2025

Grenke Chess 2025 is a massive chess event that takes place 17-21 April in Germany. Thirteen days before the start of the event it crossed the 2900 players mark, and eventually collected 3000+ players. The festival contains the Grenke Open and the Grenke Freestyle Chess with Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Arjun Erigaisi, etc. See live games / information and schedule

More about Grenke: Information and schedule / Video day 1 / Pairings round 1 / Live games

“Personal reasons” was the official reason given by the organizers for the withdraw of Niemann from Paris Freestyle. Since then he disappeared off the radar, without a single message or explanation. That is until today, when he showed up at R1 of Grenke.

Chessdom.com had early indications this morning that Hans Niemann may be in Grenke. The news got confirmed right before the round.

A little later a photo confirmation was also received, before videos started to come.

The story of Hans Niemann disappearance so far

05.04. Norwegian TV reports that Niemann is withdrawing after he was informed about anti-cheating
05.04 Breaking: Hans Niemann withdraws from Freestyle Chess Paris 2025 (rolling updates)
06.04 Reactions to Hans Niemann withdrawing from Paris Freestyle Chess 2025
06.04 Chess Song: Disappearing stars (Hans Niemann & Alireza Firouza) #TweetOftheDay
06.04 The organizer of Freestyle Chess Paris comments on the withdraw of Hans Niemann
17.04 Hans Niemann shows at round 1 of Grenke Chess after 12 days radio silence

More about Grenke Chess 2025

Grenke Chess 2025 is a massive chess event that takes place 17-21 April in Germany. Thirteen days before the start of the event it crossed the 2900 players mark, and eventually collected 3000+ players. The festival contains the Grenke Open and the Grenke Freestyle Chess with Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Arjun Erigaisi, etc. See live games / information and schedule

These are the round 1 pairings, with Hans Niemann showing up at the tournament. See the drama so far:

05.04. Norwegian TV reports that Niemann is withdrawing after he was informed about anti-cheating
05.04 Breaking: Hans Niemann withdraws from Freestyle Chess Paris 2025 (rolling updates)
06.04 Reactions to Hans Niemann withdrawing from Paris Freestyle Chess 2025
06.04 Chess Song: Disappearing stars (Hans Niemann & Alireza Firouza) #TweetOftheDay
06.04 The organizer of Freestyle Chess Paris comments on the withdraw of Hans Niemann
17.04 Hans Niemann shows at round 1 of Grenke Chess after 12 days radio silence

It has been 24 hours since the news of Hans Niemann withdrawal from Freestyle Chess Paris became public knowledge. No news from Niemann himself spark speculations. See all reactions to Hans Niemann withdrawing from Paris Freestyle Chess 2025

The organizer of Freestyle Chess Paris Jan Henric Buettner commented in a video interview for Take Take Take on the withdraw of Hans Niemann. “I texted him the day before yesterday, Friday evening at 7 pm, I said, ‘Hans, we are already here, are you here as well’. He read the Whatsapp message (because of the two blue checkmarks), but he did not answer. The yesterday we came to the venue, where I was very impressed what [the Freestyle team] has done. I did a video inside and outside, and I sent it to Hans to remind him that we are here and we have an appointment this afternoon. I sent the videos to him and he did not read it. […] So I called him on Whatsapp, it rang through, and nothing. Then I called him on the regular phone – voicemail. […] Around 7pm Sebastien came to me, ‘Look, we have a big problem.’ Hans sent him an email and he said, ‘Due to personal situation out of my control, I cannot participate’ Obviously he is not coming, so I wrote him and email with three words – Call Me Now. Nothing happened. So, it is one day before media day. We can’t care about the reasons whatever happened to Hans, we have to focus on our tournament.” Jan Henric Buettner continued, “For me it does not really matter if he is in a North Korea prison camp or whatever, he could have just called me. It makes more sense than not taking my calls, not answering my messages, not getting to me at all. ” See the full statement in the video

Regarding the news about the new security measures, the organizer of Freestyle Chess Paris Jan Henric Buettner said, “I do not know exactly the timing [when that was announced], but I can say we have very strict security measures. I even talked to Hans Niemann about that earlier, much earlier. In your own interest, I said, you want to clear your name, you want chess to peak for itself, you want to get rid of all the rumors about cheating and so on. So it is in your own interest that we are having the strongest security measures that we can ever have. I informed him long ago, but I was not specific in what we are doing. […] There was a technical meeting document that was 40 pages long that also covered security measures. I really do not want to speculate. I am still waiting for Hans Niemann to give a real explanation.” More about Take Take Take here

Timeline of Hans Niemann withdrawing from Freestyle Chess Paris

05.04. Norwegian TV reports that Niemann is withdrawing after he was informed about anti-cheating
05.04 Breaking: Hans Niemann withdraws from Freestyle Chess Paris 2025 (rolling updates)
06.04 Reactions to Hans Niemann withdrawing from Paris Freestyle Chess 2025
06.04 Chess Song: Disappearing stars (Hans Niemann & Alireza Firouza) #TweetOftheDay
06.04 The organizer of Freestyle Chess Paris comments on the withdraw of Hans Niemann

As reactions continue pouring, kramnikstudentc24 (@kramnikstudent on Tiwtter/X) publishes a Chess Song: Disappearing stars (Hans Niemann & Alireza Firouza). The video speaks for itself

New: This month of April, Chessdom is launching a newsletter that you get DAILY to your mailbox for FREE. Daily material, exclusive interviews, and the hottest chess topics as the Hans Niemann story will be inside. Signup with your mail in the form below

As we are awaiting the official reaction by Hans Niemann, here is a collection of reactions by the chess world

Patricia Llaneza (@PattyLlaneza Twitter/X): He’s letting his withdrawal speak for itself.

Zachariya (@zachariya55 Twitter/X): This guy might be searching for convincing reason to share in public – my only question is if he’s confident that he never cheated then why would he deny the lie detector test that Dubov claimed and now withdrawing from this tournament after new anti cheating system was announced

Anish Giri: Classical, a lot of drawing. Freestyle, a lot of withdrawing #TweetOftheDay

Popileviz (Reddit): Didn’t he literally go to Russia recently because no one was inviting him to tournaments? The vibrations are off on this one

Imaginary-Ebb-1724 (Reddit): Now I’m interested in this “higher level” security. We’ve seen Hans with metal, electronic and thermal detectors now. Are they gonna start CT scanning brains for neuralink lol.

kramnikstudentc24 (@kramnikstudent on Tiwtter/X): Chess Song: Disappearing stars (Hans Niemann & Alireza Firouza)

Chess Lifestyle (@chess_lifestyle Twitter/X): This is going to be the biggest “I told you so” from Magnus to Jan Henric Buettner

Hans Niemann fan account: new propaganda run by Magnus

Weshtonio (Reddit): Guy complaining about not being invited withdraws after being invited.

rio_ARC (Reddit): Kramnik, Hans Nieman, Magnus, Hikaru in the same room. Seemed too good to be true

yoda17 (Reddit): Backing out of the lie detector test with Dubov and now withdrawing from this sure isn’t going to do Hans any favors with the crowd that thinks he’s cheated over the board

Brad Crockett (@pizzapimp812 on Twitter/X): Organizers announced new security technology: The Bead Detector 9000!

trews96 (Reddit): If he had placed last he would have made $5,000 still. And it goes up to $200,000 for first place.

Thorsten Cmiel: Hans could have played

anyonecandoanything (Reddit): the lack of chess speaks for itself

Sad_Sir1605 (Reddit): The security equipment is on hire from the local hospital’s colonoscopy department

Coming this year: Netflix UNTOLD 2025 – the chess cheating scandal Carlsen – Niemann

Kevin Brodi: Après Firouzja c’est Niemann qui se retire du Freestyle Chess Paris

The Other Guy (@Gyan49485 on Twitter/X): I don’t think people even begin to see how silly this speculation is. If they decide to increase security and Hans is indeed a cheater, he can decide not to cheat and pocket easy cash. And the field is so stacked that people will understand even if someone finished 10th or 12th.