Hans Moke Niemann commented on his victory over Ian Nepomniachtchi in the Upper Bracket of the Group Stage at EWC 2026. Niemann says that the start of their game was bad, and notes that this match could be called the Tiebreak to their match in Belgrade.

Hans Moke Niemann

Hans Moke Niemann

American GM

“The start was terrible. I forgot my preparation and then at some point my King was getting mated. It was shocking.

Even in the game with Black, the opening went my way, but still it was such a dry endgame. But without increment, these endgames are especially dangerous.

In the Armageddon, I hoped that I was winning throughout. I probably wasn’t, but I had such a time edge and I’m glad that I got the job done.

[Question: You and Ian played a match recently. There was some debate afterwards. You guys good? Is there some bad blood? What’s going on?] Well, I guess you could call this the tiebreak…”

Hans Niemann and Ian Nepomniachtchi played an exhibition match in Belgrade at the end of May. The GMs played to a score of 4-4, Ian refused to play a tiebreak, and the match ended in a draw. Nepo criticized the match, and Niemann made a public explanation of the situation.

The Esports World Cup 2026 takes place from August 11 to 15, at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in France. In the first round of Group Stage B, Ian Nepomniachtchi lost to Hans Moke Niemann 1-2 and dropped to the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals. In the second round, Niemann lost to Magnus Carlsen 0.5-1.5 and dropped to the Lower Bracket Semifinals.

Credit: Esports World Cup YouTube