With the bombshell news that GM Hans Niemann is suing Magnus Carlsen, Chess.com, and Hikaru Nakamura, we brought in a legal expert to help us make sense of the case. I am joined by Professor David Franklin. David is a Constitutional Law Professor and an appellate lawyer, who is also a chess enthusiast who had already been following the Carlsen/Niemann story closely. In our conversation, David answered important questions about the legitimacy of the lawsuit, and which potential scenarios are likely to unfold from here. You can find timestamps of topics discussed below. 

0:00- I review a few key points about the Niemann lawsuit. 

Mentioned: Here is the Niemann complaint

6:30- Thanks to our chess sponsors, Chessable and AImchess. If you decide to subscribe to Aimchess, use this link or the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. 

08:00- Professor David Franklin joins the podcast. 

9:00- Did he expect a lawsuit?

11:00- Can Magnus be held accountable for damages in the U.S. as a Norwegian citizen. 

13:00- Is this writing style in the complaint likely to impact the case’s outcome? 

17:00- Is David surprised that collusion is included in the case? 

19:00- Should we take the $100 million amount in this seriously? 

20:00- Was David surprised that Hikaru is in the lawsuit? 

Mentioned: Akiva Cohen Esq. Twitter Thread

23:00- What is the strongest claim in the case? 

36:00- What is the timeline for likely events that will be forthcoming in the case? 

41:00- What charges or parties might be struck/removed from the case? 

44:00- Do any frivolous elements in the case make it less likely the case will succeed? 

45:00- What does David think of the “big picture” issue of OTB cheating? 

46:00- Thanks to David for sharing his expertise, you can follow him on Twitter here:

https://twitter.com/DFranklinChi

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