World chess body probes Kramnik for harassment of late grandmaster Naroditsky

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has launched an investigation into a Russian former world champion over his behaviour towards a US grandmaster who died this month.

Vladimir Kramnik started to accuse Daniel Naroditsky, whose death at the age of 29 was announced on Monday, of cheating in online chess last October. He continued to do so without providing any substantial evidence.

Naroditsky said shortly before his death, the cause of which is still unknown, that the allegations had taken a toll.

Arkady Dvorkovich, president of FIDE, confirmed on Wednesday that he had referred all of Kramnik’s public statements about Naroditsky to the organisation's ethics and disciplinary commission.

"Appropriate action" would be taken if Kramnik, who was world chess champion in the early 2000s, was found to have engaged in public harassment or bullying.

Kramnik has yet to comment publicly on the investigation, but has called Naroditsky's death a tragedy.

Naroditsky, whose chess videos had a large online following, told his viewers in his last livestream on Saturday that the allegations from Kramnik had affected him.

"Ever since the Kramnik stuff, I feel like if I start doing well, people assume the worst of intentions. The issue is just the lingering effect of it," Naroditsky said, noting that the Russian grandmaster had once been one of his "heroes."

Five-time world chess champion Magnus Carlsen has described Kramnik's actions towards Naroditsky as "appalling," while fellow grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura and Nihal Sarin said he had tried to destroy the young US player's reputation.

Kramnik has also accused dozens of other chess stars of cheating, with the internet chess server Chess.com closing his blog on the site in 2023 as a result.

One was Czech grandmaster David Navara, who said the public accusations led him to contemplate suicide. In response, the Russian player accused Navara of defamation.

"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, FIDE's president, said on Wednesday.

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

Dvorkovich added that FIDE would establish a prize in Naroditsky's memory.

Naroditsky won the under-12 World Championship in 2007, before becoming a grandmaster in 2013 at the age of 18. He later graduated from Stanford University with a history degree.

The California-based chess player consistently ranked in the world's top 200 and was in the top 25 for the blitz chess, a fast-paced version of the game.

Responding to his death, the Dutch chess grandmaster Benjamin Bok wrote: "I still can't believe it and don't want to believe it."

"It was always a privilege to play, train, and commentate with Danya, but above all, to call him my friend," he added.