Carlsen beats Niemann in first face-off since cheating scandal

Chess great Magnus Carlsen beat nemesis Hans Niemann 17.5-12.5 to advance to the Speed Chess Championship final on Friday, in their first face-off since the world number one accused his American rival of cheating two years ago.

The Norwegian also prevailed 7-2 in the longer format (5 minutes per game with a one-second increment per move), before drawing the 3+1 time control 4-4 and the bullet section 6.5-6.5.

One of the last games was aborted as Niemann complained about technical problems with his mouse and the server, although Carlsen's lead was effectively unassailable.

On Sunday, Carlsen faces France's Alireza Firouzja, who beat world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura of the United States 16-11 earlier on Friday.

Players are competing online but physically present at an arena in central Paris, sitting close to each other with noise-cancelling headphones in front of hundreds of spectators.

They are also being followed by thousands on the website of organisers Chess.com.

At the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, Niemann beat Carlsen with the black pieces and the Norwegian withdrew from the tournament, issuing a statement implying his opponent had cheated.

Shortly after the controversy, Carlsen had resigned against Niemann after making only one move in an online tournament, effectively refusing to play.

Niemann filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Carlsen and Chess.com in October 2022 after the allegations that he had cheated.

A US judge dismissed the lawsuit in June last year.

Chess.com later said all parties had resolved their dispute and agreed to move forward without further litigation.