Hans Niemann: the internet edgelord's latest secular god

It's fascinating how, whenever someone like this comes along across a range of fields, there will be a fringe of highly motivated admirers defending their every word and action. The only other sport I follow is boxing, and I have seen this with Tyson Fury most lately. There are people who "interpret" his numerous public pronouncements for the rest of us and explain what he "really" means when he says he's retired repeatedly (for example).

For what it's worth, I think Niemann is entertaining and unusually articulate for his age - I see the appeal. But the rational part of me knows he's just a human being who talks in front of a camera. But to those most given to magical thinking, and perhaps with issues with their own father, they interpret outspoken/bold as heroic. It speaks to that irrational part of the human brain which has allowed organised religion to endure far beyond when it should have in the modern scientific age.

Organised religions each have prophets who are revered as visionaries but were viewed with suspicion in their own time. To those given to superstition, which religion requires, Niemann is viewed as a chess visionary. To his disciples, the rest of us just don't "see" it.

As for father issues, I am not reaching here. People with poor father figures often look for replacements. I am not a bodybuilder but I have studied the subculture. The outpouring of grief following Rich Piana's death from supposedly "alpha" men admitting to crying and literally describing him as a father figure told me a lot about human psychology.

@CrusaderKing1 falls into this category, which is unsurprising given his username with its religious connotations.

Hans seems to have garnered a lot of fans.

I see a lot of people defending Hans, but few are claiming that he is a visionary or the future or chess or anything of the like. Personally, I'm still giving him the benefit of doubt, but that's hardly enough zeal to classify him as a religious leader of any sort. And if he is similar to a religious leader, it is certainly not organized. 

Saying there is no evidence that Hans cheated OTB and that people should be innocent until proven guilty is a perfectly fine stance.

In addition to that, it's fine to criticize Magnus for inferring baseless accusations, where even other super GMs have defended that Hans didn't cheat in the game he beat Magnus. 

“This order speaks for itself”

I burst out in laughter when it was streamed live.

why is everyone so mad? he is just a talented individual and an inspiration to all the vibrating players out there. 

Tyson Fury dressed up as batman and got accused of cheating with floppy gloves

You're not just saying that though, you're insinuating that Magnus doesn't sincerely believe Hans cheated and that he's motivated by petulance. The fact you're more lenient towards Niemann (in spite of his confessed cheating) returns me to the idea you have an axe to grind with Carlsen. Possibly motivated by resentment or envy.

I’ve never seen a top player less able to talk about his games.

But fandom has its own, sometimes strange, ways.

you guys are just mad. he's clearly talented. people who say they can hear him vibrate really need to just sit at a different table.

Hans looks like and could be the new David Koresh.

Fury was accused of that by a sect of highly motivated Deontay Wilder fanatics, which reinforces what I am talking about with people revering public figures as secular gods.

The lions den boxing community, I get the impression half of them don't even watch boxing

It's a basic human character trait which should be minimised if not eradicated. People wouldn't even know who the Kardashians were (for example) if it wasn't for people with actual talent inventing technology which allows them to promote themselves. And yet people revere the secondary effect rather than primary cause.

I know who they are but I don't give a f, I think that's good enough.