The International Chess Federation has accused former world champion Vladimir Kramnik of orchestrating a deceptive smear campaign against other players, particularly Daniel Naroditsky, who passed away last month.
The accusations stem from concerns voiced within the chess community about Kramnik’s repeated public allegations against Grandmasters Naroditsky and David Navarra. The federation, known as FIDE, made this announcement in a statement.
The complaint submitted to the FIDE Ethics and Discipline Committee details what they describe as a “pattern of behavior spanning approximately two years” that could be related to harassment.
The upcoming statement is expected to present testimony from Czech grandmaster Navarra, whom Kramnik has also accused, as well as from individuals close to Naroditsky.
“FIDE has taken this step to make sure that all relevant statements and evidence are considered by an independent disciplinary body, ensuring a fair and respectful process for everyone involved,” they said.
As for Naroditsky’s death, the cause is still unknown. However, a police report has suggested it may be linked to a possible suicide or drug overdose.
The 29-year-old American grandmaster was found unconscious at home by someone from his chess club. In the preceding months, Naroditsky faced numerous attacks from Kramnik, who accused him of cheating during online matches.
Kramnik implied that Naroditsky was manipulating the system, using clips from his online games as evidence that he was secretly using a computer program capable of calculating millions of chess moves in an instant.
He even initiated a GoFundMe campaign aimed at addressing cheating in modern chess.
Elena, the grieving mother of Naroditsky, shared with the media the emotional toll the scandal took on her son. “To Daniel, nothing was more important than his dignity as a chess player, and Kramnik was trying to label him a fraud,” she said.
In his last livestream, Naroditsky admitted that Kramnik’s accusations were deeply hurtful.
“Ever since the Kramnik incident, I feel that whenever things start to improve for me, people assume the worst intentions. It just lingers,” he noted.
Anti-cheating regulations allow federations to penalize players who make baseless accusations rooted in feelings or inadequate evidence. To initiate a cheating investigation, substantial evidence is necessary; however, there are no documented reports investigating Naroditsky.
Other grandmasters, including Hikaru Nakamura and Nihal Sarin, have also accused Kramnik of harassing Naroditsky.
Naroditsky became a grandmaster at the young age of 18.
