The chess world remains deeply divided as former world champion Vladimir Kramnik defends himself against mounting criticism over his role in the controversy surrounding Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky&rsquo;s death.
In his first detailed interview since the tragedy, Kramnik insisted that his comments had been &ldquo;misinterpreted,&rdquo; saying he never directly accused Naroditsky of cheating but merely highlighted what he described as &ldquo;very serious irregularities&rdquo; that deserved investigation.&nbsp;&ldquo;I never accused Daniel of cheating,&rdquo; Kramnik told Al Arabiya. &ldquo;What I did, I collected very, very serious material and I will stand by it and prove it in any commission or whatever is needed. It definitely shows it has to be examined. There are many strange things that need to be examined.&rdquo;
The 50-year-old grandmaster, who has been under fire from several top players including Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Wesley So, said his observations were not personal attacks but reasoned suspicions. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not an accusation, it&rsquo;s a suspicion, very, very argumentized suspicion,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I can guarantee that there&rsquo;s a lot of evidence and it has to be considered.&rdquo;
Kramnik&rsquo;s feud with Naroditsky began in late 2024, when he made public remarks suggesting that the American grandmaster&rsquo;s online performances merited scrutiny. Naroditsky later admitted that the online chatter had severely impacted his mental health, appearing visibly distressed during a livestream just days before his death on October 19, 2025.
In the aftermath, fans and players across the chess community accused Kramnik of harassment and cyberbullying. But Kramnik maintains that the backlash against him is &ldquo;a calculated smear campaign.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s completely tragic what happened,&rdquo; he said, visibly emotional. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s shocking and heartbreaking for me also because of the circumstances. But I have no guilt in it. This very dirty, very organised PR campaign against me will be the cause of many different cases, criminal and civil, which my legal team is preparing. We will meet in court, and the court will see real facts, not PR.&rdquo;
The former champion also criticised FIDE and Chess.com for dismissing his statistical observations instead of examining them. He claimed both organisations had &ldquo;failed in their responsibility to ensure transparency in competitive chess.&rdquo;
As grief over Naroditsky&rsquo;s death continues to ripple through the global chess community, the fallout from Kramnik&rsquo;s allegations has morphed into one of the game&rsquo;s darkest chapters, raising uncomfortable questions about mental health, accountability, and how far the search for fairness can go before it crosses a human line.

Former world champ says he “never accused” Daniel Naroditsky of cheating amid backlash

Kramnik Breaks Silence on Naroditsky Row

Former world champ says he “never accused” Daniel Naroditsky of cheating amid backlash

October 30, 2025 | 16:13 IST