Chess federation files complaint against former world champion who accused grandmaster Naroditsky of cheating
The international governing body of chess said on Tuesday it had filed a complaint against former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik after he made unproven allegations of cheating against other players, including Daniel Naroditsky, who died last month aged 29.
The complaint concerns harassment and “attack on the dignity of an individual,” the International Chess Federation, known by the acronym FIDE, said in a statement.
Naroditsky’s cause of death has not been made public.
Kramnik accused Naroditsky, an American grandmaster of cheating last year and continued to share his suspicions on social media.
Naroditsky, a prodigious chess player who contributed to the online gaming boom with educational YouTube videos and livestreams, has denied the allegations.
In his final live stream before his death, Naroditsky said Kramnik’s allegations had taken a toll on him.
“Since the Kramnik case, I have the impression that if I start doing well, people assume the worst intentions. The problem is just the lingering effect,” Naroditsky said.
Other chess grandmasters, including Hikaru Nakamura and Nihal Sarin, denounced Kramnik’s conduct, saying the Russian player harassed Naroditsky.
Kramnik did not immediately respond to requests for comment submitted through his GoFundMe page for his anti-cheating campaign, but he previously called the federation’s investigation “insulting and unfair.”
The complaint, submitted to the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission, describes a “pattern of conduct over approximately two years” linked to possible harassment, we read in the federation’s press release. It includes testimony from Czech grandmaster David Navara, whom Kramnik also accused of cheating, and “people close to Daniel Naroditsky.”
The federation can sanction a player who makes unfounded accusations based on emotion or insufficient data, in accordance with its anti-cheating laws. Substantial evidence is also required to launch a fraud investigation. There are no documented reports that the federation investigated Naroditsky.
The governing body previously said it had submitted Kramnik’s statements, before and after Naroditsky’s death, to the ethics commission. Tuesday’s announcement is the formal filing of a complaint.
