Chess federation investigating Kramnik’s campaign against Naroditsky

The world chess federation (Fide) has said it is examining public attacks former world champion Vladimir Kramnik made against Daniel Naroditsky before the US grandmaster’s death.

Fide CEO Emil Sutovsky told the Reuters news agency it was “looking into” the Russian’s previous comments accusing Naroditsky, who died this week aged 29, of online cheating.

Before his death, Naroditsky denied any wrongdoing and indicated the controversy had taken its toll on him in his final Twitch broadcast.

Kramnik told Reuters he did not want to comment on Sutovsky’s statement, saying that he would “rather tell the story in whole”.

Naroditsky’s family announced his “unexpected” death in a statement released by his club, the Charlotte Chess Centre, on Monday. No cause of death was given.

Kramnik also indicated on X he was planning to take legal action against “all those falsely blaming me”. He described Naroditsky’s death as a “tragedy” that the police should investigate, adding: “I am ready to provide all information required.”

He added that he would respond if Fide president Arkady Dvorkovich were to make a statement.

Naroditsky was a popular player, teacher and commentator. He was a leading figure in online chess with hundreds of thousands of followers – who knew him as Danya – across Twitch and YouTube.

Some prominent figures in the chess community – including world number two Hikaru Nakamura, former world champion Magnus Carlsen and Indian grandmaster Nihal Sarin – have condemned Kramnik’s conduct.

Carlsen described the way Naroditsky was treated as “horrible”, while Sarin said on X that Kramnik “needs to pay for what he’s doing,” adding that the late Naroditsky had been under “immense pressure” from his rival’s accusations.

“The relentless, baseless accusations and public interrogations he faced in recent months caused him immense pressure and pain,” posted Sarin.

“This has to stop. When respected figures spread unfounded allegations without accountability, real lives are destroyed.”

He added: “Daniel’s smile faded after the attacks began. We all saw it. The chess world has lost one of its brightest lights – someone who made our game accessible to millions.”

British professional chess champion Jovanka Houska also welcomed Fide’s investigation.

She told the BBC’s Gabriela Pomeroy: “People should not be allowed to accuse other people of cheating just like that, and not face any consequences. It should not be trial by social media, which at times it has been.”

Nakamura – a close friend of Naroditsky – also reportedly criticised Kramnik for his behaviour, while streamer Nemo Zhou called the situation “unacceptable” and urged Fide to act.

The organisation has expressed condolences to Naroditsky’s family, saying it would honour him with a special award.

Kramnik, the world champion from 2000-07 and a self-declared “advocate for fair play in chess”, told Reuters: “I’d rather tell the story in whole, no wish commenting on Emil Sutovsky statement, but will comment on Fide president [Arkady Dvorkovich] statement, if it will appear.”

The Russian, who has also accused other players of cheating, further commented on X: “Without a doubt, this recent tragedy should be investigated by police, there are too many huge financial interests involved to be sure about it being just an incident. I am ready to provide all information required.”

Former world under-12 champion Naroditsky, whose parents were Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union, finished ninth in last year’s blitz world championship.

The Charlotte Chess Centre described him as a “cherished member of the chess community, admired and respected by fans and players around the world”.

Naroditsky was famous for his chess YouTube channel, which featured video tutorials and livestreams against competitors, and inspired hundreds of thousands of people across the world to play the game.

Naroditsky’s channel had nearly 500,000 subscribers, while his Twitch stream drummed up 340,000 followers.

Fans praised his insight and passion, while the International Chess Federation said he had played a “pivotal role in popularising chess content online”.