Hans Niemann

Hans started playing chess when he was 8 years old and living in the Netherlands.  He moved back to California at the end of 2012 and his rating quickly jumped from 1000 to 2200 in two years, earning the national master title at 11 years old.  Hans moved to Connecticut in 2015.  He achieved the FM title in early 2016 and tied for first in the under-18 category of the 2016 North American Youth Championship at 12 years old.  He finished clear 1^st at SuperNationals 2017 in the K-8 category.  He earned the IM title and his first GM norm in the summer of 2018. Hans won the bronze medal for board 2 at the 2018 U16 Olympiad in Turkey.  In 2019, Hans has been actively streaming on Twitch.tv and chess.com and is an elite “Puzzle Rusher” with a high score of 86. Hans is moving to New York City in the fall to finish his last two years of high school at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, where he will be on the chess team and the debate team. Hans also enjoys swimming, playing basketball, soccer, and tennis.