Niemann Rises To World Number-16 Ahead Of SCC Finals Vs. Carlsen In Paris

GM Hans Niemann has surged to number 16 in the world on the live rating list after a series of matches he's organized entitled "Hans Niemann Against The World." He's won all of the matches so far, starting with an exhibition blitz match against GM Vidit Gujrathi in Dallas, Texas before the series began, followed by matches in Europe featuring all three time controls: classical, rapid, and blitz. He beat GMs Anish Giri, then Nikita Vitiugov, and finally Etienne Bacrot.

Niemann's live rating is 2733 and his next great challenge is around the corner. After defeating GMs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Wesley So in the 2024 Speed Chess Championship online, he's qualified to face GM Magnus Carlsen in the Semifinals, live in Paris, on September 6. It will be the first time they'll play in person since the 2022 Sinquefield Cup.

The match series began in June and concluded on Saturday, August 24. 

• Niemann-Vidit 3-2
• Niemann-Giri 24-18
• Niemann-Vitiugov 27.5-14.5
• Niemann-Bacrot 28.5-13.5
• Victories over Vachier-Lagrave and So in SCC

Niemann-Vidit 3-2

The first exhibition match wasn’t rated, but it was a statement that Niemann could compete with the world's best players. On the June rating list, he was world number-39 and rated 2688; Vidit, his opponent, was world number-24 and rated 2721, and was one of the three Indian grandmasters in the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournament.

Niemann won the match and $30,000 after winning two of three sets with different time controls. The first set was 4+2, the second 3+2, and the third 2+2; Niemann won the first and last. Vidit, who walked away with $20,000, said, "I would have said yes to the match either way. I think what Hans is doing is good for chess. Every sport has special characters who bring money and attention to the game and evoke strong emotions in people." 

The chess spoke for itself. Massive respect to Vidit for a great Match. pic.twitter.com/oEsnVp3FtC

— Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) June 23, 2024

Niemann-Giri 24-18

Then came Niemann's greatest challenge, a match in Utrecht, the Netherlands against Giri, world number-14 at the time the match was scheduled. The U.S. grandmaster gained significant ground in the first two segments, the blitz and classical, and thus won with an equal score in rapid. One point was awarded for a win in blitz, three points in classical, and two points in rapid.

• Blitz 3+2: Niemann 7.5-4.5 Giri 
• Classical 90+30: Niemann 10.5-7.5 Giri
• Rapid 15+10: Niemann 6-6 Giri

Niemann lost the first classical game in the match, as did GM Bobby Fischer in 1972 before he became the first American world champion, but recovered with back-to-back victories in games three and four. The first win featured a temporary exchange sacrifice to take advantage of Black's dark squares.

Niemann gained eight classical rating points and 25.5 in blitz. In his interview for round one of the Sinquefield Cup, Giri stated, "I signed up to play a 2650 guy who hasn't done anything great in a long time, but then by the time we started playing he has gained rating up to 2710.... it was not at all what I signed up for!" He explained that he was surprised by Niemann's high level of play.

Final score 24-18
Respect to Anish for his fighting spirit.
Hans Niemann against the World continues in London on August 14th

No more drama, only letting the chess speak for itself pic.twitter.com/gHGmT9nqcI

— Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) August 11, 2024

Niemann earned $30,000 and Giri received $20,000.

Niemann-Vitiugov 27.5-14.5

Then he won in London against 2676-rated Vitiugov, a former Russian super-GM who is now represents England. Niemann won all three segments of the match.

• Classical 90+30: Niemann 10.5-7.5 Vitiugov
• Rapid 15+10: Niemann 8-4 Vitiugov
• Blitz 3+2: Niemann 9-3 Vitiugov

He won the first classical game and drew the other five. In that one decisive game that earned him three points in the match, he won with a fierce attack on the black side of the Nimzo-Indian.

Niemann won $13,000 and Vitiugov $7,000.

Niemann-Bacrot 28.5-13.5

Niemann's performance against 2677-rated Bacrot in Paris, the last match, was the most dominant of all classical portions in the series.  

• Classical 90+30: Niemann 13.5-4.5 Bacrot
• Rapid 15+10: Niemann 6-6 Bacrot
• Blitz 3+2: Niemann 9-3 Bacrot

Niemann won all three classical games with the white pieces and drew the three games with Black. The wins featured the Sicilian Taimanov and two of them ended in under 30 moves. The very last one was the nicest, as the 21-year-old grandmaster allowed his queen to get trapped, immediately revealing that it was in fact a sacrifice.

Bacrot won two games to tie 6-6 in the rapid, but in the blitz portion he was no match. The 21-year-old had already clinched the match, but still went on to win the first seven games. Bacrot then won twice, before Niemann won another game, setting the score to a dominant 9-3.

Niemann cashed in another $18,000 and Bacrot took home $12,000.

Victories over Vachier-Lagrave and So in SCC

Niemann has succeeded both over-the-board and online. After qualifying for the Speed Chess Championship through the Titled Cup leaderboard, he won both of his matches against top-10 players.

Will Hans Niemann win the #SpeedChess Championship 2024? ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/kVXrF3TJg4

— Chess.com (@chesscom) August 13, 2024

He gave Chess.com a 30-minute interview after defeating So where he repeated his "Chess speaks for itself" motto and foretold, "I think that throughout my chess career it'll become abundantly clear that I deserve an apology, but I'm not a victim, so I don't need an apology. My vengeance will be victory on the chessboard."