The 2022 Sinquefield Cup occupies a special place in chess history. It was in this edition of the prestigious event at the Saint Louis Chess Club where world No 1 Magnus Carlsen had accused Hans Niemann of cheating after losing to the American Grandmaster in the third round, leading to one of the biggest scandals in the sport’s history.

The controversy’s set to be explored in further detail in a
Netflix documentary titled _Untold: Chess Mates_ that will be released on 7 April, with the US streaming giant
releasing a trailer for the episode earlier this week on YouTube and other platforms.

No evidence to suggest Niemann cheated, says chief arbiter

Among those reacting to the teaser uploaded on X by Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) was Chris Bird, who occupies a special place in the sport’s history as the Chief Arbiter of what is one of the most infamous games of chess ever.

And in his quote-tweet to the clip posted by Netflix Sports, Bird raised eyebrows by claiming that he had “seen no evidence” that would suggest Niemann had cheated against Carlsen, or in any of the other games he’s overseen that also involved the American GM.

“It’s sad to say but even to this day one of the most common questions I get asked when folks find out I was the Chief Arbiter of “the game” is do I think Hans was cheating? I’ve seen no evidence that Hans cheated in this game, or any event I’ve overseen that he has played in,” Bird wrote in the quote-tweet on Saturday, hinting at the possibility of Niemann being unfairly targeted by the five-time world champion.

It’s sad to say but even to this day one of the most common questions I get asked when folks find out I was the Chief Arbiter of “the game” is do I think Hans was cheating? I’ve seen no evidence that Hans cheated in this game, or any event I’ve overseen that he has played in. https://t.co/YLUYnUpyG9

— Chris Bird (@ChrisBirdIA) March 14, 2026

Niemann had responded to the cheating allegations nearly four years ago by filing a $100 million lawsuit against Carlsen and several others. The case, however, was ultimately resolved through an out-of-court settlement between the two parties.

Carlsen and Niemann, however, have shared frosty relations ever since, with the latter accusing the Norwegian superstar of attempting to ruin his life with his accusations and the two trading barbs on social media and through other platforms.

Their heated rivalry has also led to some high-voltage showdowns over the board, with Carlsen pulling off dramatic victories over Niemann at the Speed Chess Championships and the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in 2024, a couple of years after the scandal.

D Gukesh began his campaign at the 2026 Prague Chess Festival Masters with back-to-back draws, having to fight his way to safety against American Grandmaster Hans Niemann in the first of those on Wednesday. The reigning Classical world champion is known for his fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude, and it was that fighting spirit that helped Gukesh rescue half-a-point against Niemann.

How Gukesh survived against Niemann

Niemann, a late replacement for Czech GM Thai Dai van Nguyen, had pushed Gukesh on the backfoot by sacrificing his knight in the 13th move (13.f4 Nxd3) after the game developed from a Berlin Defense opening. The American piled pressure on Gukesh by pushing his queen forward (14. Qxd3) and later putting his bishop in a dangerous position (15. Ba6).

Gukesh, however, is someone who is known to thrive in difficult situations with his ability to remain calm and calculate his way to safety or a position of strength. After a Queen exchange in the 18th move, the 19-year-old – who also had the advantage of playing as white – Gukesh continued to hold fort and resisted whatever curveballs Niemann attempted to throw at him.

In the end, the two played out a 62-move draw that concluded with a rook endgame. It was the only stalemate in the opening round, with each of the other boards witnessing a victory for white.

Gukesh’s second-round meeting with Tata Steel Chess winner Nodirbek Abdusattorov, however, was nowhere near as dramatic, with the two players shaking hands in just 30 moves from an Indian Game opening.

The Uzbekistani GM wasn’t quite able to put the world champion under pressure the way Niemann had in the previous round, with the eval bar remaining on level terms throughout.

Aravindh opens account with a victory

Niemann, meanwhile, was in for a setback in the second round after losing to Gukesh’s compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram despite playing as white. Aravindh, who had won the Prague Masters in dominant fashion last year, ceded control to his opponent after committing a couple of errors (20. h6 and 28. Ne4).

👉Here are the results of Round 2 of the Masters at the Prague Chess Festival, we saw two decisive games today. Don’t forget to vote for the game you liked the most: pic.twitter.com/0QoqcCtOI4

— Prague International Chess Festival (@PragueChess) February 26, 2026

The 26-year-old, however, was quick to turn the tide in his favour after Niemann produced a blunder with his bishop (31.  Bd3) that was followed by more errors, with the American eventually raising the white flag of surrender after 53 moves.

World No 1 Magnus Carlsen and American Grandmaster Hans Niemann haven’t exactly been cordial with one another over the years, having shared a rocky relationship since the infamous cheating scandal in 2022. Niemann had responded to Carlsen’s sensational cheating claims during the Sinquefield Cup with a $100 million lawsuit against the Norwegian and others that was ultimately settled out of court, and the two have traded verbal punches with one another ever since.

That rocky relationship could get even more strained in the days to come with Netflix set to explore the controversy in greater detail in its Untold documentary series that covers some of the most fascinating stories from the world of sport. The episode titled Untold: Chess Mates releases on 7 April, marking the series’ maiden foray into the world of chess, with the streaming giant set to release a trailer for the same on 10 March.

UNTOLD is back with four new films premiering weekly starting March 31:

• The Death and Life of Lamar Odom: Lamar revisits the infamous night at the Love Ranch that nearly cost him his life.

• Chess Mates: The story of Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann’s 2024 rematch following… pic.twitter.com/QBJntjQ3Hp

— Netflix (@netflix) February 24, 2026

“Magnus Carlsen – widely regarded as the greatest chess player of all time – is challenged by rising star Hans Niemann, who capitalises on the meteoric growth of online chess. Niemann’s ascension culminates in an epic, controversy-shrouded victory over Carlsen, eventually leading to allegations of cheating,” reads the official synopsis of the documentary that has been directed by Thomas Tancred and executive produced by Chapman Way and Maclain Way.

“Determined to clear his name, Niemann fights his way back to the top of the chess world, setting the stage for a high-stakes rematch with Carlsen,” it added.

And it’s not just Netflix that’s exploring the biggest controversy in modern chess history, with A24 developing a feature film titled Checkmate, the release date for which is yet to be announced.

Both Carlsen and Niemann have been interviewed for the documentary. However, while Carlsen is yet to publicly comment on the documentary, Niemann has already made some sensational statements ahead of the release.

“The truth, reckoning, and revolution is upon us. Netflix April 7th,” Niemann wrote in a post on X on Wednesday in which he shared a still of himself from the documentary.

The truth, reckoning, and revolution is upon us. Netflix April 7th! pic.twitter.com/pNqt0omqRA

— Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) February 24, 2026

And in a separate post, Niemann claimed to be a victim of “false narratives spread across major platforms” while seeking an American sponsor to support him in his journey at the highest level of the sport.

“When the world piled on smear campaigns, coordinated attacks, strategic silence: no one stood with me. Not a single institutional ally. False narratives spread across major platforms tested my reputation and my career at the highest level. Others had state machines, endless sponsors, safety nets. I had grit, intellect, and the unshakeable American spirit inside,” Niemann wrote in the second post on Wednesday.

“I rose anyway. I am American resilience : independent, unbreakable, forged in isolation and still ascending. Intellectual excellence without apology. The will to win on my own terms. Before the Netflix spotlight shifts the narrative, I will select one premier American company as my long-term partner: securing the necessary resources to become World Champion,” he added.

How Netflix followed Carlsen and Niemann around

Niemann had entered the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, the event that currently is part of the Grand Chess Tour, as a late replacement and had famously defeated Carlsen in 57 moves while playing as white in Round 3. Carlsen, however, withdrew from the tournament after the defeat and later publicly accused the American of cheating.

A film crew had been spotted at the 2024 Speed Chess Championships in Paris, where Carlsen had defeated Niemann 17.5-12.5 in a tense semi-final face-off that marked their first meeting since the cheating scandal.

The film crew was also spotted at the Champions Chess Tour Finals in Toronto as well as at the FIDE World Blitz Championship in New York City later that year – the latter witnessing a dramatic quarter-final showdown between Carlsen and Niemann that was once again won by the Norwegian.

And according to Norwegian media outlets, the Netflix crew was also present at Carlsen’s wedding in Oslo in January 2025.

The chess world is already excited for the FIDE Candidates 2026, which will decide who challenges world champion Gukesh Dommaraju later this year. And according to American grandmaster Hans Niemann, there is one clear favourite.

Niemann has openly said that his compatriot Fabiano Caruana is the hands-down favourite to win the
2026 Candidates. In his opinion, Caruana is the most consistent player in the field and clearly stronger than the rest of the qualified players.

“I think the favourite should definitely be Fabiano Caruana. He’s the best player, at least in terms of consistency, and I think he’s clearly the best. After that, I don’t really see another clear favourite,” Niemann told Sagar Shah of ChessBase India.

“Obviously, Matthias Blübaum and Andrey Esipenko, you highly doubt they would win. So, among these five (R Praggnanandhaa, Anish Giri, Hikaru Nakamura, Javokhir Sindarov, Ding Liren), I don’t see a big difference in how they can perform in just 14 games. So yes, Fabi is the favourite,” he added.

Talking about the other main contenders, Niemann said he would go with Sindarov as his second favourite and India’s
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa as his third choice to win the Candidates later this year.

“If I had to pick someone else, I’d probably say Sindarov because of his strong recent results. Other than that, Hikaru has been inactive in classical chess, so I wouldn’t consider him. If I had to pick a third, it would probably be Pragg,” he said.

Niemann backs Caruana to beat Gukesh

Niemann did not stop there. He also spoke about a possible World Championship match. If Caruana wins the Candidates and faces Gukesh, Niemann believes the American would be a strong favourite over the Indian teenager.

“I would say probably 75-25 to Fabi,” he said, giving Caruana a 70 to 75 percent chance of beating Gukesh and becoming world champion.

The upcoming FIDE Candidates tournament will feature eight players. Caruana will be one of the most experienced players in the field. Nakamura also brings a lot of experience and has been ranked in the world’s top three for many years. Giri is another experienced campaigner at the highest level.

India’s only representative will be Praggnanandhaa, who also played in the previous Candidates in Toronto. Meanwhile, Sindarov, Esipenko and Blübaum will be playing in a Candidates tournament for the first time.

The FIDE Candidates 2026 and FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026 will take place from March 28 to April 16 at the Cap St George’s Hotel & Resort, Cyprus.

The FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026 will be held from February 13 to 15 at the Weissenhaus Private Nature Luxury Resort in Wangels, Germany. For the first time, the event is being jointly organised by FIDE and Freestyle Chess, marking a big shift from the tension seen between the two sides just a year ago.

This is also the first time the tournament is officially called the ‘FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship’, even though FIDE had earlier organised world title events in the same format in 2019 and 2022 under the name Fischer Random World Championship.

How the structure has changed from 2025

In 2025, Freestyle Chess was run as a year-long Grand Slam Tour with multiple legs across the world. However, there is no full Freestyle Tour this year. Instead, the world championship is now a standalone three-day event with rapid time controls and a reduced prize fund.

The qualification system has also changed this year. In 2026, six players qualified through the 2025 Freestyle Grand Slam Tour, wne wildcard was nominated, and one player came through an online play-in open to titled players. The final event features eight players in total.

Tournament format in 2026

• February 13: Single round-robin group stage (7 rounds) with a 10+5 time control.

• February 14: Semifinals (best-of-four matches, 25+10 time control).

• February 15: Final (best-of-four match, 25+10 time control).

Only the top four players from the group stage advance to the knockout stage. The total prize pool is $300,000 (Rs 2.7 crore), with $100,000 (Rs 90 lakh) going to the champion.

Who are the participants?

The eight players fighting for the title are:

• Magnus Carlsen

• Fabiano Caruana

• Levon Aronian

• Vincent Keymer

• Arjun Erigaisi

• Javokhir Sindarov

• Hans Niemann

• Nodirbek Abdusattorov

India’s
D Gukesh and
R Praggnanandhaa are notable absentees, while Nakamura has decided not to defend his title.

Nakamura, who won the 2022 Fischer Random World Championship, declined to participate this time, citing the rushed arrangement, change in format, and his focus on the Candidates Tournament.

Who are the favourites?

Magnus Carlsen enters as the top-rated player in the world and arguably the biggest favourite. His rapid skills make him very dangerous in a short event like this. Fabiano Caruana is another strong contender. Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov are also among the favourites.

For Indian fans, Arjun Erigaisi will be the one to watch out. He has already shown good form in the World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2025 late last year, winning bronze medals in both events.