World Chess Federation investigating Russian grandmaster who accused Daniel Naroditsky of cheating Jason Abbruzzese October 22, 2025 at 9:26 PM 10 The World Chess Federation said Wednesday it will investigate whether Russian chess champ Vladimir Kramnik should be disciplined for the disparaging publ...
- - World Chess Federation investigating Russian grandmaster who accused Daniel Naroditsky of cheating
Jason Abbruzzese October 22, 2025 at 9:26 PM
10
The World Chess Federation said Wednesday it will investigate whether Russian chess champ Vladimir Kramnik should be disciplined for the disparaging public statements he made "before and after the tragic death" of American grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky.
Arkady Dvorkovich, president of the worldwide organization better known by its French acronym, FIDE, made the announcement in a statement to NBC News after many top players in the chess world accused Kramnik of besmirching Naroditsky's reputation by falsely and repeatedly accusing him of cheating during online matches.
Naroditsky was found dead this week at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina.
"The chess community has long respected the achievements of GM Vladimir Kramnik, and his contributions to our sport are undeniable," Dvorkovich said in the statement. "The same high standards that accompany great achievements, however, also confer a responsibility to uphold the principles of fairness and respect and to be ambassadors for the sport."
Dvorkovich, who did not say in the statement what kind of disciplinary action Kramnik could face if the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission concludes he crossed the line, acknowledged that chess has a bullying problem.
Chess grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik competes in London in 2013. (Oli Scarff / Getty Images file)
"In recent times, public debate within the chess world has too often moved beyond the boundaries of acceptable, harming not only people's reputation but their very well-being," he said. "When this happens, discussions can turn into harassment, bullying, and personal attacks — a particularly serious concern in today's environment."
Emil Sutovksy, the CEO of FIDE, said in an earlier interview with Reuters that he was "looking into" Kramnik's public campaign against Naroditsky.
Naroditsky's death at age 29 outraged his supporters in the chess world, who said he'd been bullied relentlessly by Kramnik, a former world champion who has accused many players of cheating in online play.
There was no immediate response from Kramnik to the FIDE announcement. Earlier Wednesday, he insisted in an email to NBC News that he was the "subject of a bullying and slandering PR campaign," as well as ongoing threats to him and his family.
Levy Rozman, a U.S. international chess master whose wildly popular online chess commentary earned him the nickname "the Internet's Chess Teacher," denounced Kramnik's allegations in a video posted Wednesday. "This has to stop," he said.
Naroditsky grew up idolizing Kramnik, who is 50 and who had his heyday in the early 2000s, Rozman said in the video. He said his friend was crushed at being targeted by Kramnik's "rampant attacks."
Chess.com, the largest chess platform in the world, banned Kramnik in 2023 from taking part in prize tournaments after he accused multiple players of cheating.
"It's past time that FIDE investigate and respond to this issue," Chess.com said in a statement following FIDE's announcement.
Asked why a legendary player like Kramnik would accuse so many other well-respected players of cheating, Chess.com CEO Erik Allebest told NBC News that "chess has fundamentally changed in the past 20 years" and some older players like Kramnik resent the changes.
"Old-guard players used to head to hotels for chess tournaments where they would play six-hour games a few times a year," he said. "We have now a new guard of chess players who grew up online where they play all the time. And they have more experience playing online."
Some players like Kramnik, who study the high scores of their rivals, are too quick to conclude "they must be cheating," he said.
Cheating does happen, and Chess.com does a good job of catching and weeding out the players who break the rules, Allebest said. "We have the statistics to back that up," he said.
Before FIDE weighed in, popular chess star Anna Cramling pleaded with it to do "something about Vladimir Kramnik."
"Your actions now will be remembered from the chess world for years to come," Cramling posted on X. "Do everything in your power to make sure justice is served. For Daniel Naroditsky, and all other people who become victims of Kramnik's cyber-bullying."
The Charlotte Chess Center in North Carolina, where Naroditsky trained and worked as a coach, announced Monday that he died and called him "a talented chess player, educator, and beloved member of the chess community."
Neither Naroditsky's chess club nor the authorities have released a cause of death, leading to speculation surrounding the circumstances.
Naroditsky, the son of Jewish immigrants to the United States from Ukraine and Azerbaijan, was born in California and became a grandmaster, the highest title in chess aside from world champion, at age 18.
He was consistently ranked in the top 200 worldwide for traditional chess and excelled at a fast-paced style called blitz chess, maintaining a top 25 ranking throughout his adult career.
He was also credited with introducing the sport to a wider audience by livestreaming many of his matches and sharing live commentary on others.
Source: "AOL General News"
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