Breaking: Hans Niemann has withdrawn last minute and Nodirbek Abdusattorov will replace him. The news comes right after the official meeting today at 19:00 CET.
In a message exchange seen by Norwegian TV 2, it appears that Niemann is withdrawing shortly after he was informed that organizer Jan Henric Buettner has invested in new security equipment to be able to detect cheating.
“Personal reasons” is the official reason given by the organizers for the withdraw of Niemann.
As of 01:50 CEST on April 6, there is no comment from Niemann’s camp, whether the announcement of the new anti-cheating equipment by Jan Henric Buettner and his withdraw are a coincidence, or the actual reason for the last minute leave. In the last days Niemann constantly tweeted how enthusiastic he is about Freestyle, and how he will video record the Freestyle Paris event with Kramnik being there.
Update: as of 08:00 CEST April 7 there is still no official comment from Niemann
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
Developing story, stay tuned for updates
Freestyle Paris 2025 is the second event in this year’s Freestyle Grand Slam. The best players in the world will battle it out in Freestyle chess (sometimes known as Fischer Random or Chess960) for a huge prize fund. The winner of the overall Grand Slam will definitely NOT be called the World Champion. See all details of Freestyle Paris 2025 here
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Throwback: After 19-year-old American grandmaster Hans Niemann defeated Magnus Carlsen in the third round of the Sinquefield Cup 2022, the World Chess Champion decided to withdraw from the event. Rumors that Magnus Carlsen suspected Niemann was cheating started spreading over social media and the “Carlsen – Niemann” controversy is the top news in mass media ever since. Review a comprehensive timeline of the Carlsen – Niemann events here
