Untold: Chess Mates – the story of Carlsen and Niemann on Netflix

Untold: Chess Mates focuses on the fallout from the 2022 chess cheating scandal involving Hans Niemann and Magnus Carlsen. The episode is going to air today, April 7, on Netflix.

In Untold: Chess Mates, Hans Niemann takes center stage in the documentary, which includes scenes from his modest New York apartment, highlights from his Twitch streams, and an in-depth look at his account of events surrounding the St. Louis tournament, both before and after it unfolded.

It also revisits the pivotal moment at the Sinquefield Cup, where Carlsen withdrew after losing to Niemann, sparking widespread speculation and debate across the chess world. What makes Chess Mates stand out is its attempt to humanize Niemann while also exploring broader themes: how quickly narratives can spiral in the age of social media, the pressure of elite chess at the highest level, the role of online platforms and chess cheating concerns.

Netflix on the Chess Mates, "This documentary digs into the stranger-than-fiction story." https://t.co/Nt2jaWJlmV

— Chessdom (@chessdom) April 6, 2026

Untold: Chess Mates – official trailer

The episode doesn’t claim to definitively resolve the controversy, but instead gives viewers a deeper look into Niemann’s perspective and the cultural ripple effects across modern competitive chess. If you would like to follow the story as it unfolded in real time, scroll down to the timeline below, where you will find a curated sequence of articles and news coverage presented in chronological order.

Hans Niemann in Netflix UNTOLD: Chess Mates, "I'd like to establish psychological dominance over all of them"

Full context: in the episode that airs today on Netflix pic.twitter.com/Fr7mTwprOp

— Chessdom (@chessdom) April 7, 2026

The timeline of events related to the Carlsen – Niemann case:

Date	News
5-Sep	BREAKING: Magnus Carlsen withdraws from the Sinquefield Cup 2022
5-Sep	Possible reasons of Magnus Carlsen’s withdrawal from the Sinquefield Cup 2022
5-Sep	Hans Niemann was thoroughly checked before the fourth round of the Sinquefield Cup (VIDEO)
5-Sep	Sinquefield Cup’s players and organizers react to Carlsen’s withdrawal from the tournament
5-Sep	Hans Niemann R4 post-game interview: At least I got to beat Magnus Carlsen before he left
6-Sep	Sinquefield Cup 2022 improves anti-cheating measures after Carlsen’s withdrawal
6-Sep	Fabiano Caruana: Can’t wait to hear more about the Hans effect on The Magnus Effect
6-Sep	Reactions to Magnus Carlsen’s withdrawal from the Sinquefield Cup 2022
6-Sep	Niemann’s emotional confession R5 post-game interview: I cheated in random games on chess.com and this was the biggest mistake in my life
7-Sep	Reactions to Hans Niemann’s interview
7-Sep	Hans Niemann: I’d like to see what Nakamura has to say now
8-Sep	Hans Niemann R6 post-game interview: The silence of my critics speaks for itself
8-Sep	Elon Musk comments on accusations towards Hans Niemann
8-Sep	Garry Kasparov about Carlsen’s withdrawal: It’s an act with no precedent in the past 50 years
9-Sep	Chess.com explains its decision to remove Hans Niemann from the platform in the official statement
9-Sep	Daniel Rensch about chess.com’s statement: This tweet speaks for itself
9-Sep	Hikaru Nakamura reacts to Hans Niemann’s interview
9-Sep	Susan Polgar about Niemann – Carlsen case: The professional reputation of many parties is at stake
9-Sep	Garry Kasparov: Unless the chess world is to be dragged down into endless pathetic rumors, clear statements must be made
9-Sep	Niemann keeps analyzing his game with MVL while getting checked with the anti-cheating device (VIDEO)
9-Sep	Hans Niemann R7 post-game interview: It is absolutely ridiculous to play chess under these conditions
10-Sep	Hikaru Nakamura and Daniel Naroditsky speak about cheating in chess
10-Sep	Hans Niemann’s fans gather in front of the Saint Louis Chess Club
10-Sep	Sinquefield Cup Chief Arbiter’s statement: We have no indication that any player has been playing unfairly in the Sinquefield Cup 2022
11-Sep	New allegations within Niemann – Carlsen case: Hans Niemann performs much better with live DGT boards
11-Sep	Nigel Davies, “If Carlsen does not speak soon, the FIDE Ethics Commission should act”
11-Sep	Alexander Grischuk about Niemann – Carlsen case: Magnus freaked out for a reason
11-Sep	Richard Rapport suggests a polygraph test to manage cheating in chess and protect players who are falsely accused
11-Sep	Alexei Shirov: Hans Niemann’s last GM norm looks suspicious
12-Sep	Hans Niemann after the end of the Sinquefield Cup 2022: It was a lot to handle and I wasn’t able to manage my nerves
13-Sep	S.L. Narayanan: I believe FIDE has to take more stringent measures for both online as well as OTB
13-Sep	Hans Niemann and Magnus Carlsen to meet at the Julius Baer Generation Cup
14-Sep	Hans Niemann to be back at the Saint Louis Chess Club for the 2022 Fall Chess Classic
15-Sep	Fabiano Caruana on Carlsen’s withdrawal: I do not think Niemann cheated in this tournament
16-Sep	Leonard Barden for Guardian on Niemann – Carlsen case: It is time for FIDE to step in
16-Sep	Stephen Colbert jokes about the latest accusations against Hans Niemann in his late night talk show
18-Sep	Alejandro Ramirez shares his insights on Carlsen’s withdrawal: I don’t think Hans cheated
19-Sep	Magnus Carlsen resignes against Hans Niemann in the second move
19-Sep	Susan Polgar on Carlsen’s resignation against Niemann: Definitely a protest move!
19-Sep	Hammer says Carlsen should be sanctioned in live Norwegian TV program
19-Sep	Fair-Play specialist Kenneth Regan: Niemann played well, but not too well
19-Sep	Levon Aronian: I believe Niemann hasn’t been the cleanest person when it comes to online chess
19-Sep	Magnus Carlsen applauds Pragg for the fantastic game
19-Sep	Reactions to Magnus Carlsen’s resignation
19-Sep	Niemann’s and Carlsen’s facial expressions during their 2-move game
20-Sep	Carlsen will not give any interviews during the tournament
20-Sep	Anish Giri: we know about online cheating by multiple other chess players
20-Sep	Nakamura on Carlsen – Nieman Julius Baer game
20-Sep	Martin B. Justesen: Carlsen is handling the Chess.com merger like Elon Musk did with the purchase of Twitter
20-Sep	Carlsen’s resignation is the top story in Norwegian newspapers
20-Sep	Why was Hans Niemann invited to the Julius Baer Generation Cup?
20-Sep	Naroditsky: I am pretty confident that Magnus believes Niemann has cheated over the board before Saint Louis
20-Sep	The Carlsen – Niemann conflict is more recent than everyone thinks?
20-Sep	What if Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann meet in the Julius Baer Generation Cup Knockout phase?
21-Sep	Levon Aronian on 21-move loss to Niemann: Hans played very strange moves
21-Sep	FIDE closely follows Carlsen – Niemann case, a statement to come
21-Sep	Emil Sutovsky: FIDE is concerned about recent developments of Carlsen – Niemann case
21-Sep	BREAKING! Magnus Carlsen: cheaters should not be taken lightly either online or OTB
21-Sep	Niemann’s mentor whom Carlsen mentions in the interview was banned from chess.com for cheating?!
22-Sep	Susan Polgar: Sadly, the performances of other young talents are overshadowed
22-Sep	Anish Giri about the recent chess drama: It’s moving in circles a little bit
22-Sep	Fabiano Caruana: I would take Regan’s analysis with a large grain of salt
22-Sep	Magnus Carlsen: Some people were more supportive privately than publicly
23-Sep	Ian Nepomniachtchi: I was unhappy to hear Hans Niemann will replace Rapport in Sinquefield Cup
23-Sep	FIDE publishes the official statement on the Carlsen – Niemann case
24-Sep	Top grandmasters take Carlsen’s side in the Carlsen – Niemann case?!
24-Sep	Hans Niemann is innocent until proven guilty
25-Sep	Susan Polgar: DON’T CHEAT! It is simply NOT worth it!
25-Sep	Magnus Carlsen announces his statement(s) for the coming days: I want cheating in chess to be dealt with seriously
26-Sep	Kenneth Regan for Al Jazeera: I was in daily communication with the Sinquefield Cup organizers
26-Sep	BREAKING! Magnus Carlsen publishes the official statement: I believe that Niemann has cheated more
26-Sep	Chris Bird – Chief Arbiter of the Sinquefield Cup 2022 reacts to Carlsen’s statement
26-Sep	Nakamura on Carlsen’s statement: It seems to me that Carlsen thinks Hans was cheating in the game they played at the Sinquefield Cup
26-Sep	Reactions to Magnus Carlsen’s official statement
26-Sep	Is Carlsen’s statement the end, the beginning of the end, or only the end of the beginning?
26-Sep	Fabiano Caruana and Maurice Ashley comment on Carlsen’s statement (C-Squared podcast)
26-Sep	GM Nigel Davies on Carlsen’s statement: This is a very clear accusation of cheating, but without actual evidence
27-Sep	Susan Polgar suggests a lifetime ban for second cheating offense
27-Sep	Ramesh RB: FIDE should have devised a good practical solution to the cheating problem years ago
27-Sep	Anish Giri reveals moves of the “Beach Game” between Niemann and Carlsen
27-Sep	GM Raymond Keene: Niemann could now raise stakes by consulting M’Learned Friends
27-Sep	Sergey Karjakin on Carlsen’s statement: Niemann’s guilt has not been proven, but there is no smoke without fire
27-Sep	The Carlsen – Niemann controversy is top news in mass media
28-Sep	GM Daniel King: “It seems to have been forgotten that a 19-year-old has been thrown to the lions”
28-Sep	Hikaru Nakamura comments on Yosha Iglesias’s “the most incriminating evidence against Hans Niemann”
28-Sep	Motherboard reviews e-mails in which Maxim Dlugy confesses cheating on chess.com
29-Sep	Eugene Perelshteyn defends and criticizes Carlsen on the Hans Niemann cheating accusations
29-Sep	Garry Kasparov: Carlsen’s behavior was unacceptable
1-Oct	Ian Nepomniachtchi explains what could be considered evidence of cheating in chess
2-Oct	Hikaru Nakamura on the recent Carlsen – Niemann case developments: I don’t see a happy ending to this
4-Oct	The Wall Street Journal publishes chess.com’s findings on the Carlsen – Niemann case
4-Oct	Hikaru Nakamura on chess.com’s findings about Hans Niemann: This is the big drama
4-Oct	Reactions to chess.com’s findings about Hans Niemann
4-Oct	Chess.com publishes 72-page report on Carlsen – Niemann case
5-Oct	GM Noel Studer: It’s insane that chess.com knew Hans likely cheated over 100 times and would have let him play in CGC
9-Oct	Hans Moke Niemann files massive lawsuit
9-Oct	Hans Niemann is seeking 400 MILLION USD in damages from Carlsen, Nakamura, Chess.com, Play Magnus and Danny Rensch
9-Oct	Susan Polgar: The full scale chess war is on!
9-Oct	Jonathan Rowson: The lawsuit is written like a tabloid article
10-Oct	Yosha Iglesias: Cheating is no longer Hans’ Niemann biggest mistake in his career
10-Oct	Hans Niemann is represented by Oved & Oved