India, March 21 -- Hans Niemann recently faced defeat against GM Daniil Dubov in an 18-game blitz match held in Moscow. The Russian grandmaster emerged victorious with a score of 9.5 to 8.5, and Niemann was expected to respond to a single question during a lie-detector polygraph test.

This match followed a controversy at the 2024 World Blitz Championship, where Dubov failed to appear, resulting in a default win for Niemann.

In a YouTube statement, the American grandmaster expressed his refusal to undergo the lie-detector test, citing a lack of respect from his opponent. 

"I have no intention of granting someone like Dubov, who acted immaturely, the privilege of questioning me on a lie detector, which is nothing more than pseudo-science, especially when I have nothing to prove," he stated.

"Despite everything that has happened to me, I have continued to compete. I have nothing left to demonstrate. The burden of proof lies with them. These are despicable individuals who attempted to ruin the life of a 19-year-old due to a personal and twisted vendetta."

Niemann further accused Dubov of speaking to him and causing disturbances during the match, and he noted that Dubov refused to shake hands afterwards. "The level of disrespect from the chess community and its players is truly astonishing," he remarked.

Additionally, Niemann disclosed that Dubov proposed conducting the test in Dubai, with the expectation that Niemann would cover the travel expenses. "I refuse to pay for an entire trip and provide Dubov with a comfortable hotel just for this," Niemann asserted.

In the meantime, Dubov has made his intentions clear in an interview with a Russian news outlet, stating that he would ask Niemann if he had ever cheated over the board in the past five years.

Niemann is also scheduled to participate in the upcoming Paris Freestyle Grand Slam event, where he will compete against notable players such as Magnus Carlsen and D Gukesh. Furthermore, he is set to feature in a Netflix documentary alongside Magnus Carlsen, where they will discuss their controversial cheating scandal, with the release planned for April.

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