'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Andrea Botez, co-owner of Twitch channel BotezLive, has commented on Hans Niemann's defamation lawsuit against grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, streamer Hikaru Nakamura, and Chess.com.
Carlsen accused Niemann of cheating after losing to him in the 2022 Sinquefield Cup last month. Chess.com then published a report saying the 19-year-old likely cheated in more than 100 online games.
Niemann is clearly not taking the allegations lying down and has decided to sue all the parties involved, including Nakamura, who commented on the controversy in a video.
Addressing the cheating scandal and subsequent lawsuit, Botez said in her latest Twitch stream:
"Wait, whoa! Wait, he's suing Hikaru too?!? Damn! Damn!"
"Guess Hikaru kind of stirred up...": Andrea Botez glad she stayed away from Hans Niemann-Magnus Carlsen controversy
Hans Niemann has been the subject of cheating allegations for quite some time. He even had to defend himself on post-match talk shows during the 2022 Sinquefield Cup after winning against Magnus Carlsen.
Niemann insisted that while he had resorted to cheating in online games in the past, he had never cheated in over-the-board games.
At the 16th-minute mark of the video above, Niemann admitted to cheating as a child:
"I was a child and had no idea... This happened once in an online tournament, I was just a child. Nothing happened then. Four years later, when I was 16 years old during my streaming career, in an absolutely ridiculous mistake, in unrated games.
"After that I have never since I was 12, I have never ever in my life cheated in an over the board game, in an online tournament. They were unrated games, I'm admitting this..."
Amid the allegations, American grandmaster and streamer Hikaru Nakamura commented on the scandal, which clearly did not sit well with Niemann.
The video below contains Nakamura's comments on the controversy.
During her Twitch stream, Andrea Botez stated that Nakamura played a part in "stirring" the metaphorical pot, causing many people to accuse Niemann of cheating.
Botez also expressed relief that she had stayed away from the scandal:
"I mean, oh god, I'm just glad I never stepped into the drama. I guess Hikaru kind of stirred up a little bit of the insinuations in the beginning. But that is a bold... I feel like this is like honestly just a flex."
Timestamp 24:57
Magnus Carlsen's comments that started the scandal
As a veritable giant in the chess world, Magnus Carlsen's reputation is infallible.
The Norwegian withdrew from the Sinquefield Cup following his loss to Hans Niemann and later took to Twitter to post a GIF of football manager Jose Mourinho saying:
"If I speak, I'm in big trouble."
Days later, Carlsen released a statement in which he categorically accused Niemann of cheating:
Reactions to the lawsuit
The chess world had mixed reactions when news of Hans Niemann's lawsuit started circulating. Here are some reactions on Reddit and Twitter:
The lawsuit is quite high-profile, with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line. If it goes to litigation, it would surely be a huge public trial with the whole world watching.
