Russian Chess Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik is rejecting responsibility for the tragic death of Daniel Naroditsky and doubling down on the cheating allegations that allegedly drove the American chess prodigy into a fatal spiral.
The bombastic former World Chess Champion posted a bizarre official statement on social media on Saturday after the chess community and even Naroditsky’s mother pointed the finger at Kramnik for nearly two years of unfounded cheating allegations that many claim deeply affected the beloved US grandmaster’s state of mind prior to his death Wednesday.
“I have never made any personal attack or insult towards Daniel Naroditsky,” wrote Kramnik, who repeatedly impugned the upright and ethical chess master.
Kramnik, 50, then seemingly contradicted that claim and wrote he has “a significant amount of evidence” which supported his allegations that Naroditsky, 29, violated fair play rules — and was “ready to provide these materials to any relevant authority.”
Later in the tone-deaf note, Kramnik claimed he’d been the subject of a harassment campaign ever since Naroditsky’s demise — and in poor taste announced to the world that he was not suicidal.
“Finally, with full responsibility, I want to state that I am in good physical and mental condition and under no circumstances am I planning to take my own life,” Kramnik concluded.
Naroditsky was found unresponsive in his North Carolina home, on Oct. 19, in a death that is being investigated as a possible suicide or drug overdose, according to authorities.
His grieving mother, Elena, stated the mental anguish resulting from the cheating allegations by Kramnik, who was once one of her son’s idols, was simply too much to bear.
“There was nothing more important to Daniel than his dignity as a chess player. And the ex-world champion was trying to say he was a cheater,” she told the DailyMail. “Daniel tried to defend himself so much.
“He played more and did more and more because he was trying to prove that he’s not what he was accused of.”
Kramnik has a history of making baseless claims against younger, rising chess stars.
Even Hikaru Nakamura – currently the best US chess player, most popular chess streamer and second-highest ranked player in the world — was accused of cheating in online chess by the conspiratorial Kramnik.
The ex-world champ also attacked a lower-rated Peruvian grandmaster, Jose Martinez, who called out the baseless attack in August 2024 and defended his honor in a chess match against Kramnik.
Martinez acquitted himself well in the 36-game match though Kramnik eked out a victory.
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