Former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik to face probe over online comments about rival

Vladimir Kramnik attends an event in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2019. Iliya Pitalev/Sputnik via AP/FILE via CNN Newsource

Former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik is being investigated for bullying and harassment following the death of fellow player Daniel Naroditsky, world chess governing body FIDE has announced.

Naroditsky, an American chess grandmaster who amassed a large online following through streaming and teaching, died unexpectedly at the age of 29, according to a statement released by his family via the Charlotte Chess Center on Monday. No cause of death was announced.

Kramnik, a grandmaster and the world chess champion between 2000 and 2007, had repeatedly accused Naroditsky of cheating in online games.

Naroditsky denied the accusations and, during his final Twitch stream last week, spoke about the mental toll Kramnik’s campaign had taken on him.

“The problem is, ever since the Kramnik stuff, I feel like if I start doing well, people assume the worst of intentions,” he said, adding: “The issue is just the lingering effect of it.”

Kramnik has denied any wrongdoing and wrote on X Thursday that he hopes the “real truth about the curcumstances (sic) and cause of this tradegy (sic) will be revealed, despite all attempts to hide it.”

Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead” on Wednesday, FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich said that the organization “thought that Vladimir’s accusations were reckless and ungrounded.”

He added: “Our fair play commission is looking into that. And I personally, and our management board, decided to pass it to our ethics commission for investigation, an independent investigation. We do believe that any kind of bullying or harassment is intolerable in any life activity — in sports, in chess in particular.”

Dvorkovich explained that “any kind of sanction is possible” for Kramnik, though that decision ultimately rests with the ethics commission.

“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,” Dvorkovich said in a statement released by FIDE on Wednesday.

“When this happens, discussions can turn into harassment, bullying, and personal attacks — a particularly serious concern in today’s environment.

“The chess community has long respected the achievements of GM Vladimir Kramnik, and his contributions to our sport are undeniable. 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.”

When contacted by CNN Sports, Kramnik pointed to his recent interview with Russian outlet Match TV, during which he described FIDE’s investigation as “insulting,” “unfair” and “orchestrat(ing) a shameful campaign of harassment against me and my loved ones”

He added in the interview: “The fact that FIDE makes such statements is unacceptable neither from a moral nor a legal point of view.”

According to The Associated Press, Kramnik first accused Naroditsky of cheating in online chess last October without providing substantial evidence.

Since Naroditsky’s death, other players have spoken out against Kramnik, with five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen calling his conduct “horrible” and world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura describing his campaign against perceived cheating as “nonsense” and “insane.”

“It’s time to stop worrying about the backlash. I am calling on the FIDE EDC (Ethics and Disciplinary Commission) to remove Vladimir Kramnik from the FIDE record books, revoke his title, and disqualify his world championship,” streamer and woman grandmaster Nemo Zhou wrote on X.

“Chess is one of the most beloved games in the world and should be a place for kindness and inclusion.”

Without naming Kramnik, grandmaster Nihal Sarin wrote on X that Naroditsky had faced “relentless, baseless accusations and public interrogations” which caused “immense pressure and pain.”

“Daniel’s smile faded after the attacks began,” Sarin added.

Kramnik has long waged a war against what he believes to be widespread cheating in online chess, describing it as a “rapidly spreading desease (sic)” in a “fair play in chess” fundraising campaign launched earlier this year.

Naroditsky was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. After learning to play chess at the age of six, he would go on to earn the title of grandmaster – the highest title awarded by FIDE – before he was a senior in high school.

A popular figure online, he had half a million subscribers on his YouTube channel and 340,000 followers on Twitch, as well as being hired by the New York Times in 2022 as a chess columnist.

Speaking on “The Lead,” FIDE president Dvorkovich described Naroditsky as “a bright person, a grandmaster, educator, commentator. He was loved by many.”