Hans Niemann Challenges Wesley So to a 100k bounty Freestyle Chess Match

After dropping out of the Paris Freestyle Chess tournament earlier in April, Hans Niemann announced his comeback with a win in chess.com‘s Titled Tuesday on April 29. Hans was quick to post his achievement on his social media platform, but to fans’ surprise, American top GM Wesley So, paying an unusual visit to his X account, left a witty comment for Hans.

Wesley didn’t stop here but continued to interact with Niemann over the next few days, again leaving a comment, “Freestyle”, under the following post by Hans, sarcastically reminding Hans of the new iteration of “Fischer Random”.

Hans, standing behind his motto of “letting the chess speak for itself”, threw Wesley with a challenge with $100,000 on the line. We have witnessed Niemann vs Dubov blitz match which was initiated from a heated exchange on their social media. However, this time the American is calling shots on the Freestyle Chess grounds by challenging his seasoned compatriot over a Freestyle Chess Blitz match.

While it’s clear that Wesley being himself has just been poking fun at Niemann through his wit, but a match, if materialized, between these two players would be quite the spectacle for the chess world.

Photo credit: Grand Chess Tour