04/07/2026
Super grandmaster shot for /
I first became aware of Hans around the same time most people did — during the infamous a**l beads chess controversy of 2022. Son Yeah… he was the guy at the center of that storm.
Since then he’s been known as the “bad boy of chess.” Not because the a**l beads thing was real ... (it wasn’t), but because of his outspoken brashness and HYPER-aggressive style — on the board, and DEFINITELY off it. If you’ve never watched interviews with professional chess players, Youd be shocked to hear that 99.9999% are fu***ng boring . Then watch any Hans interview and you’ll see what I mean.
He’s kind of the Conor McGregor of chess… or at least of chess interviews.
When I only knew Hans from his public persona, he wasn’t really my cup of tea. He seemed like an arrogant kid with a big mouth. But the guy was so fu***ng good — 2738 FIDE rated and currently #16 in the world — that I had to respect his chess, even if at that point I didn’t think much of the man.
But when I actually met him and worked with him, he turned out to be very different from the version of him I had in my head.
It actually reminded me of my days shooting for WWE. Sometimes the biggest “heels” — the loudmouth villains everyone loves to hate — are the most interesting people in front of the camera.
And when the cameras stop rolling… they’re often the nicest people in the room.
Sometimes people really can back up the brash s**t that comes out of their mouths.
And I respect that.
On the last slide is a picture of me ( rated 1600 on chess.com AND 1780-ish on lichess.com lol !!!! ) facing down a 2738 FIDE rated Super Grandmaster! Shout to for that shot !
