Hans Niemann Teams Up with Vladimir Kramnik

In a recently Titled Tuesday live stream on Twitch, GM Hans Niemann opened up about his recent collaboration with none other than former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik for his upcoming tournaments and future chess endeavours. Niemann also took to his social media to share a photo that he took with Kramnik in November 2023.

While talking to his viewers, Hans confirmed that Kramnik will be joining Team Hans for the 2nd leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Paris. While we know Vladimir Kramnik has been active in pushing other chess variants to the mainstream, such as no-castling chess in the past, this is the first time that the former World Chess Champion is going to feature in a major Freestyle Chess tournament in any way. Hans also mentioned the possibility of Kramnik continuing to help Hans through Grenke Open after the conclusion of Freestyle Chess. Hans, in his X post, pointed out how he has boosted his rating by 70 Elo points in the last 16 months working with Vladimir Kramnik.

With Kramnik joining the players in Paris, from April 7 – 14, fans are going to be on the lookout for a potential altercation between Kramnik and top players such as Hikaru Nakamura, who have, either directly or indirectly, been accused by Kramnik of cheating. Following the wave of unfounded public accusations by Kramnik, the legend has diminished his rapport amongst the top chess circles.

Nevertheless, this developing bond between Kramnik and the “bad boy” of chess, Hans Niemann, is sure to deliver some exciting and enterprising action for the viewers on the board of 64 squares.