Netflix officially announced on Tuesday that its highly anticipated documentary on the 2022 scandal, involving GMs Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann, will premiere on the platform on April 7, 2026. Untold: Chess Mates revisits one of the most explosive controversies in modern chess history.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed Netflix’s release dates for Volume 4 of Untold, the documentary series known for covering the most fascinating stories in sports. Among the four episodes coming out this spring is Chess Mates, which was originally expected for release in 2025. It will now premiere on April 7, with a trailer coming out on March 10.
UNTOLD is back with four new films premiering weekly starting March 31:
• The Death and Life of Lamar Odom: Lamar revisits the infamous night at the Love Ranch that nearly cost him his life.
• Chess Mates: The story of Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann’s 2024 rematch following… pic.twitter.com/QBJntjQ3Hp
— Netflix (@netflix) February 24, 2026
The episode centers around what became perhaps the biggest and most-talked-about controversy in modern chess history. It began with what Netflix describes as Niemann’s “epic, controversy-shrouded victory over Carlsen at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, eventually leading to allegations and revelations of cheating.”
“Determined to clear his name, Niemann fights his way back to the top of the chess world, setting the stage for a high-stakes rematch with Carlsen in 2024,” Netflix wrote in its official synopsis:
Untold: Chess Mates
“Magnus Carlsen, widely regarded as the greatest chess player of all time, is challenged by Hans Niemann, a rising star who capitalizes on the meteoric growth of online chess. Niemann’s ascension culminates in an epic, controversy-shrouded victory over Carlsen at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, eventually leading to allegations and revelations of cheating. Determined to clear his name, Niemann fights his way back to the top of the chess world, setting the stage for a high-stakes rematch with Carlsen in 2024.”
Few other details on the documentary have emerged, but a film crew was spotted filming during the 2024 Speed Chess Championship Finals in Paris, the 2024 Champions Chess Tour Finals in Toronto and the 2024 FIDE World Blitz Championship in New York, with the dramatic quarterfinal match between Carlsen and Niemann.
Norwegian media have also reported that a Netflix crew was present during Carlsen’s wedding in Oslo in January 2025, just days after his New York match with Niemann.
Carlsen has previously confirmed that he has spoken for the documentary. Since then, he has largely avoided speaking publicly about the controversy. One exception was during an episode of Joe Rogan’s podcast in February last year, where the Norwegian explained himself:
There were a lot of factors that made me very, very suspicious. I think ever since then he has become better. But there’s still something off, both then and now.
Twenty-two-year-old Niemann, on the other hand, has frequently shared his candid thoughts about the controversy. In an interview with WGM Dina Belenkaya last year, he described the episode as “the greatest injustice in modern chess history.”
What happened to me was the greatest injustice in modern chess history.
—Hans Niemann
“The fact that there is a Netflix documentary and an A24 movie is the unfortunate PR-created scandal that was designed to destroy a 19-year-old’s life,” Niemann said.
“They might view my life as such a gift, ‘how lucky am I to be famous,’ but in reality, it means absolutely nothing to me.” He added:
My dedication to the game of chess supersedes all and any financial ambition or fame. All of this means nothing. If you look at the damage that was done to my chess career, it is undeniable.
“I am a bit nervous, but also excited about the final result because they did a good job talking to Danny and me,” Chess.com CEO Erik Allebest said. “I expect some things in there are going to be surprising for the chess world to find out.”
I am a bit nervous, but also excited about the final result because they did a good job talking to Danny and me.
—Erik Allebest, CEO of Chess.com.
Untold: Chess Mates becomes the second chess-related documentary release of the year, arriving two months after Queen of Chess, featuring GM Judit Polgar. That film chronicled the rise of the greatest female player of all-time, and was met with strong reviews, eventually making it to Netflix’s global top 10 list.
The Carlsen-Niemann saga is also headed to the big screen, with Hollywood production company A24 developing a feature film titled Checkmate, which will dramatize the same scandal. A release date is yet to be announced.
