A new book by best-selling author Ben Mezrich offers the most detailed account yet of the controversy between GMs Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann, revealing new details behind what became the biggest scandal in modern chess.
In Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess, Mezrich covers the saga from the inside, drawing on interviews with key figures involved. An adaptation based on the book is headed to Hollywood in 2027.
The ebook was released on April 7, while the comes out on June 2. The ebook has since been among the top-selling new chess titles on Amazon. Checkmate goes further than Netflix’s Untold: Chess Mates, reconstructing the events, the investigation that followed, and the personalities at the center of the saga.
In this interview with Chess.com, Mezrich discussed several of his key revelations, commenting, “I realized it’s such a perfect movie! It’s really Shakespearean.”
Mezrich is no ordinary author. In fact, he’s the best-selling author of The Accidental Billionaires about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, which was adapted into David Fincher’s The Social Network (2010). His books have sold over six million copies worldwide.
His interest in the scandal was immediate as he has long been drawn to stories about exceptional people. “I like to write books about brilliant people, kind of in the gray area between right and wrong,” he told Chess.com. “Big moments in history that end up having ramifications in a big way.”
That led Mezrich to spend significant time with Niemann, a figure he found both compelling and difficult to understand. “I was incredibly moved by him,” he said. “He’s brilliant, he’s a prodigy, and he’s someone who is also caught up in a ton of emotions that I think he only vaguely has control of.”
Niemann was a person hard to read: “He’s one of those people you feel for, but you also have no idea whether what he’s saying is true or not.”
He described Niemann as both fascinating and polarizing, “a bit of Bobby Fischer,” as he put it. He likened spending time with him to “being in the ring with a boxer.”
“He’s a genius—there’s no question in my mind,” Mezrich said when addressing Niemann’s repeated “chess mafia” accusations. “But he’s also laced with paranoia… and this feeling that the world is against him.”
He’s a genius—there’s no question in my mind. But he’s also laced with paranoia… and this feeling that the world is against him.
—Ben Mezrich on Hans Niemann
Despite this, Mezrich said he enjoyed Niemann’s company. “I really like Hans. Hanging out with him is fun. The guy is nuts. He’s fun, confident and crazy.”
Mezrich believes those traits can be explained by Niemann’s background. While Carlsen grew up in a stable environment outside Oslo, Niemann’s path was far more solitary—living on his own at a young age, supporting himself through chess, and navigating without the same safety net.
He likened the contrast to a familiar narrative: “If you watch the Rocky movies, Hans is the guy training in the horrible gym fighting for his life—while Magnus is surrounded by support.”
If you watch the Rocky movies, Hans is the guy training in the horrible gym fighting for his life—while Magnus is surrounded by support.
—Ben Mezrich
One of the key questions surrounding Niemann is whether his larger-than-life persona is genuine or constructed. Mezrich believes the answer could be somewhere in between. “I think he’s been playing the character so long that it has become his character.”
Despite the intense scrutiny, along with the global spotlight, Niemann has let the chess speak for itself and his progress since the controversy has been remarkable. The 22-year-old is now firmly established among the world’s top-20, and a top-10 breakthrough is well within reach.
Mezrich noted how Niemann from an early age has believed he is destined for greatness, and he argues that the belief is essential to understanding both his rise and the controversies that followed. “He firmly believes he’s the greatest chess player ever… that it’s only a matter of time until he’s number one.”
He firmly believes he’s the greatest chess player ever … that it’s only a matter of time until he’s number one.
—Ben Mezrich on Hans Niemann
A key question of the controversy is what really happened and who is responsible. Mezrich doesn’t have that answer, but thinks Carlsen acted prematurely without enough evidence when he publicly implied cheating after his loss in St. Louis.
“I don’t think Magnus had enough information… to accuse him of cheating in that moment,” he said. Mezrich noted that Niemann’s past online cheating—by his own admission—complicates the narrative and that Niemann’s confrontational style often escalates situations. “He creates situations where people act aggressively toward him, and then he becomes the victim of that.”
Four years after the controversy started, Mezrich said he believes the Norwegian has not changed his mind about the situation. “I think he fully believes that Hans cheated,” Mezrich said. “I don’t think he accepts that he could have been beaten in that way.”
According to Mezrich, that conviction helps explain why Carlsen has shown little public remorse over how the situation unfolded, even after the legal dispute was settled.
A curious part of the book is one of the most bizarre and defining moments of the entire controversy—the anal beads rumor. In Checkmate, Mezrich traces the origin of the claim to an internet troll from Liverpool, who sells railway tickets for a living.
“This is a guy who just tries to get things to go viral,” Mezrich told Chess.com. “That’s his hobby.”
An excerpt from that section was published in Vanity Fair, with Mezrich explaining how the idea started as an absurd joke after GM Eric Hansen discussed it during a Chessbrah stream. It was then picked up by major media outlets when amplified by Elon Musk.
“It’s almost a perfect encapsulation of what’s wrong with everything today,” Mezrich said.
Today Vanity Fair dropped an excerpt of my new book, Checkmate, and I’m so excited for people to read this one! It’s the crazy true story of the battle between @MagnusCarlsen and @HansMokeNiemann and also about the rise of @chesscom . It was always a dream of mine to be…
— Ben Mezrich (@benmezrich) April 6, 2026
Checkmate also covers the role of Chess.com in the controversy. It details how Chief Chess Officer, IM Danny Rensch, spent thousands of dollars purchasing spy-tech to figure out how Niemann could possibly have cheated during the Sinquefield Cup.
The book also paints a human picture of how Rensch along with CEO Erik Allebest were deeply affected by the situation. On the one hand, they were running a billion-dollar company and felt a responsibility to protect the integrity of the game.
On the other hand, they were grappling with how their decisions could have life-altering consequences for a young player’s career. “They cried,” Mezrich said. “They really struggled with what this could do to someone’s life.”
Mezrich notes how that reaction was closely tied to their religious backgrounds. While Allebest was raised as a Mormon, Rensch grew up in a religious cult. “They’re very spiritual people. They really want to believe the best in people and do the right thing.”
“Someone like Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk wouldn’t even think twice,” he added. “They’d just do what they felt needed to be done.”
Mezrich noted how, in contrast, Allebest and Rensch wrestled with each step they made, questioning whether they were making the right decisions even as they ultimately moved forward. “They may end up making the same decisions, but they feel it along the way.”
As Chess.com reported in 2024, the rights to Mezrich’s book have been acquired by Hollywood. An A24 film adaptation is now in development, with Nathan Fielder set to direct and Emma Stone producing. Shooting could already begin this summer, with a full release expected in 2027.
Mezrich said the story’s mix of personalities, technology, and business makes it perfect for the big screen. “You have the brilliant Magnus… the greatest in history. And then you have this brash kid out of nowhere… and he beats him. That alone was enough to get me excited.”
Early conversations have included some major Hollywood names, such as Ryan Gosling for the role of Carlsen. Mezrich also suggested Marty Supreme star Timothée Chalamet as someone who could portray Niemann. “Any scene with Hans is going to be a good scene,” Mezrich said. “He just eats up the scenery—in real life.”
Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess is currently available as an ebook. The hardcover is released on June 2.
