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Why is a chief arbiter holding an umbrella over Hans Niemann’s head during chess game at US Championship?

Niemann even joked about it saying that he felt like a president of a country. "Honestly it made me feel like I was the president of a small country!," the GM said according to chess24.

Hans Niemann Wesley So umbrella sunlight

Chief arbiter Chris Bird using an umbrella over Grandmaster Hans Niemann's head in order to protect him and opponent Welsey So from the direct sunlight. (Photos by Lennart Ootes/St Louis Chess Club)

In what will surely be one of the most unusual scenes ever witnessed in a chess tournament, chief arbiter Chris Bird was photographed holding an umbrella over Hans Niemann as he played a game against Welsey So during their round 1 clash at the US Chess Championships. Photographs from the event also saw Niemann burst out laughing at the scene despite being locked in a tense game against Wesley So.

So what made the tournament chief arbiter Chris Bird open an umbrella in the middle of a game? The experienced arbiter had to use an umbrella over Grandmaster Hans Niemann’s head in order to protect him and opponent Wesley So from direct sunlight entering through an open skylight window in the playing hall, with piercing sunrays falling directly into the face of So and on the chessboard.

Why Hans Niemann felt like ‘president of a country’ while playing chess

Chief arbiter Chris Bird using an umbrella over Grandmaster Hans Niemann’s head in order to protect him and opponent Welsey So from the direct sunlight. (Photos by Lennart Ootes/St Louis Chess Club)

Bird stood over the two players, umbrella aloft until the window was ultimately covered. Then it was business as usual for the two players with the game finishing in a draw. Niemann even joked about it saying that he felt like a president of a country. “Honestly it made me feel like I was the president of a small country!,” the GM said according to chess24.

Watch what happened during the game of Wesley So vs Hans Niemann and why our Chief Arbiter took an umbrella in for the rescue! ☂️#USchessChamps pic.twitter.com/ur6cBQDmCr

— Saint Louis Chess Club (@STLChessClub) October 12, 2025

Legend Garry Kasparov also chimed in with a funny quote on his X account. “Hans knows the classics! 😂☀️ “The first rule is when a game is played on a clear and sunny day, make sure the sun is in the enemy’s face so that it blinds him.” – Ruy López de Segura, “Libro de la invencion liberal y arte del juego del axedrez”, 1561,” he posted.

Hans knows the classics! 😂☀️ “The first rule is when a game is played on a clear and sunny day, make sure the sun is in the enemy’s face so that it blinds him.” – Ruy López de Segura, “Libro de la invencion liberal y arte del juego del axedrez”, 1561 https://t.co/QM4aahkgHc

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) October 12, 2025

Read more about the US Chess Championships

The US Chess Championships tournament started on October 12 and will go on till October 24. The event is a 12-player round robin tournament with the time control being 90 mins for the first 40 moves, 30 more minutes for the rest of the game and a 30-second increment per move.

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The winner will get $55,000 while the runner up will receive $43,000 while a 3rd-placed finish gets $35,000 from a $250,000 prize fund for the whole tournament. It’s taking place at the upgraded facilities of the Saint Louis Chess Club in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.

Apart from Niemann and So, the other players participating in the tournament are GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Levon Aronian, GM Ray Robson, GM Awonder Liang, GM Sam Sevian, GM Sam Shankland, GM Grigoriy Oparin, GM Abhimanyu Mishra, GM Andy Woodward and GM Dariusz Swiercz.