'Like his chess, not personality': Russian GM on Niemann's 'FIDE must punish' remarks
Ian Nepomniachtchi has praised Hans Niemann as a “very good and formidable player” but said he does not like the American’s personality. In an exclusive interview with TimesofIndia.com, the Russian grandmaster reacted to Niemann’s recent call for FIDE to punish players over public accusations, saying the American “can’t stop playing the victim card” and comparing his image to Conor McGregor’s.
Russian Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi, known as Nepo, maintains skepticism towards Hans Niemann's abilities beyond the chessboard. Nepomniachtchi, the top-ranked player in Russia, expressed that he believes Niemann "can't stop playing the victim card" and lives in that persona, as Niemann advocated for FIDE to penalize players who make public accusations or insinuations, especially involving young players.
Nepo praised Niemann's chess skills, though he disapproved of his personality. Nepomniachtchi likened Niemann's controversial image to that of mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor, stating that Niemann intentionally embraces it. This reaction arose after Niemann criticized Nepomniachtchi for comments made during an online game against a 14-year-old Canadian player, Aaron Mendes.
Niemann urged FIDE to take action against such incidents, while Nepomniachtchi found the documentary Untold: Chess Mates, which revisits the cheating controversy involving Niemann, uninformative and lacking in new details. Nepomniachtchi recommended the documentary The Queen of Chess about Judit Polgar for those interested in learning about chess.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
