Carlsen Discusses Niemann’s Playing Style in New Netflix Video

Two clips from Netflix’s upcoming Untold: Chess Mates documentary provide insight into the Carlsen vs. Niemann saga, featuring honest reflections from GMs Magnus Carlsen, Hans Niemann, and Hikaru Nakamura. The controversy between Carlsen and Niemann from their 2022 encounter is revisited in this documentary, which is set to be released on April 7. Excitement has been steadily building since the official trailer was released on March 10 and quickly garnered half a million views. Recently, a new 89-second clip was dropped by the streaming giant, showcasing Carlsen’s candid contemplation of his own prowess as a player.

Carlsen, who has ruled the chess world for nearly two decades, admitted to moments of self-doubt, revealing, “I sometimes feel as though I don’t deserve it. I feel like at times it comes easy to me. There are probably people who worked harder, who haven’t reached as far.” Interestingly, he also shared his initial online encounters with Niemann, mentioning, “It was at times quite entertaining because his mood swings would be pretty wild.” Despite acknowledging Niemann as a good player and an American who talks a lot, Carlsen expressed his thoughts on his victories over Niemann.

On the other side, Niemann recounted the experience of facing his childhood idol, Carlsen. He described himself as just a kid who didn’t see himself as a potential champion, and suddenly found himself playing against the world champion, someone he had looked up to for a long time. Both Carlsen and Niemann are currently participating in the Grenke Chess Freestyle Open in Karlsruhe, Germany, as part of the Grenke Chess Festival. Niemann has been actively promoting the Netflix release on his social media accounts.

Additionally, the documentary features Nakamura’s assessment of Niemann, where he acknowledges Niemann’s strength as a player but shares his thoughts on Niemann’s demeanor. Nakamura’s involvement in the controversy is notable, as he was named in Niemann’s defamation lawsuit for discussing the case and sharing his opinions. Niemann addressed his behavior in the documentary, stating that in the world of sports, his actions were not as crazy as perceived and that being polite and nice isn’t a requirement to be a champion.

Untold: Chess Mates will be available for streaming on Netflix starting from April 7.