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Hans Niemann criticises Hikaru Nakamura for refusing to watch the Netflix chess scandal documentary, reigniting debate over the 2022 cheating controversy.
Hans Niemann features in Netflix’s latest chess documentary (Picture credit: X @Netflix)
American Grandmaster Hans Niemann has said that although most people would be excited to see a chess documentary on Netflix, it isn’t the same for Hikaru Nakamura, as he isn’t used to criticism and wasn’t able to control the narrative shown in the documentary.
Niemann has lashed out at Nakamura after the latter said that he had ‘no intention’ of watching Untold: Chess Mates, released on Netflix on April 7, which delves into the controversial 2022 chess cheating scandal involving Niemann.
Niemann was accused of cheating by world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen after his loss to the former at the Sinquefield Cup 2022. Nakamura, who had criticised him, was later named in a defamation lawsuit that was settled out of court.
But the accusations were never proven.
“Well, I mean, I don’t know because I have not watched it. also have not been on social media, so I have no idea. I mean, I would say what I said before on my stream yesterday after my game, which is from what I have heard about it, they don’t really delve too much into the behind-the-scenes of how everything transpired before the event, which is very disappointing,” Nakamura said while speaking to Chessbase India.
“Because without that, I think people are lacking the proper context. But I have no intention of watching it. There is a saying, I know it is slightly different, so it is paraphrasing, but they say you should never sleep where you work or something like that,” Nakamura added.
This gave Niemann another chance to target Nakamura, whom he accused of downplaying the documentary to avoid having his ‘lies’ amplified.
“Most people would be excited that chess made it to Netflix, especially to participate. Hikaru and his collaborators are not used to criticism; they could not control the narrative,” Niemann tweeted on Thursday night.
Most people would be excited that chess made it to Netflix, especially to participate. Hikaru and his collaborators aren’t used to criticism, they couldn’t control the narrative. Notice how neither Magnus or Hikaru have said they won’t watch the doc. They don’t want to publicise… https://t.co/WWfIWUbR9G— Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) April 9, 2026
Niemann had earlier taken a swipe at Nakamura over his poor start at the FIDE Candidates Tournament, with the top seed languishing fourth in the standings and slipping out of title contention.
April 10, 2026, 6:05 PM IST
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