Vladimir Kramnik has broken his silence following the death of American grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, calling the 29-year-old's death a tragedy and accusing critics of waging an “unprecedentedly cynical and illegal persecution campaign” against him and his family.
The 50-year-old former world champion, who faced widespread condemnation for unprovenly accusing Naroditsky of online fraud, expressed condolences but denied any personal attacks.
“Despite the tension in our relationship, I was the only person in the chess community who, having noticed Daniil’s obvious health problems on video the day before his death, publicly called on him to help,” Kramnik wrote in a statement to X. “The subsequent attempts made immediately after his death to directly link this tragic event with my name … exceed all the bounds of basic human morality.”
Kramnik said his previous calls for a review of Naroditsky's online play had been ignored “despite a significant amount of evidence” and said he would provide the materials to “any relevant authority.” He said his lawyers were preparing civil and criminal lawsuits over “false allegations” that led to threats against him and his family.
He added that he welcomed what he called a U.S. criminal investigation into Naroditsky's death and offered to help with “important classified information.” Kramnik concluded by stating that he was “in good physical and mental condition” and “under no circumstances” was planning to commit suicide.
Naroditsky's death may have been the result of a drug overdose and is being investigated as a possible suicide, according to a police report released Thursday. A report from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said Naroditsky was found dead Sunday evening and described the case as a “death/suicide/overdose/sudden/natural death investigation.”
“On Sunday, October 19, at approximately 7:11 p.m., officers responded to a medic call in the 9000 block of Colin Crossing,” the report states. “Upon arrival, medic located an unresponsive subject who was later pronounced deceased.”
Naroditsky was discovered at his home by close friends, grandmaster Alexander Bortnik and Charlotte. chess The founder of the center is Peter Giannatos. The couple went to check on him after he stopped answering calls and messages.
“I found him dead in his house,” Bortnik said on air this week. “We went to check because he was unresponsive and found him dead on the sofa.”
Naroditsky, one of the most popular streamers and commentators in the chess world, was found dead last weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he served as head coach and grandmaster at the Charlotte Chess Center. Police have not disclosed the cause of death.
A Stanford-educated talent and former world youth champion, Naroditsky has amassed more than 800,000 followers on Twitch and YouTube. Known as Danya, he became renowned for his humor, clarity and humility, becoming a leading voice during the pandemic-era chess boom. He was also one of the best players in the world at shorter time controls, finishing ninth at last year's World Blitz Championship in New York.
Naroditsky has consistently denied the accusations but acknowledged the damage they had done to his mental health. “After the events with Kramnik, I feel that if I do well, people will assume the worst,” Naroditsky said in his latest live broadcast.
Anger over Kramnik's behavior has gripped the chess world. Hikaru Nakamura called his behavior “disgusting” and five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen called it “terrible.” Indian grandmaster Nihal Sareen, who played Naroditsky in his last online match, accused Kramnik of “taking a life”, saying his vigilante campaign against suspected cheaters was ineffective and “totally unacceptable”.
Kramnik, who overthrew Garry Kasparov in 2000. and held the world title for almost seven years, made similar accusations of cheating against other players. In 2023, Chess.com banned him from posting, citing “baseless and harmful” statements.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced this this week. it “understood” Kramnik’s behavior. “The way Kramnik approaches is simply impossible to accept,” FIDE Executive Director Emil Sutovsky told Reuters. The Federation plans to honor Naroditsky with a memorial award.
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich later confirmed that all public statements by Kramnik about Naroditsky before and after his death would be submitted to the organization's Ethics and Disciplinary Policy Commission “for independent review.”
“Human life and dignity are fundamental values shared by all of us,” Dvorkovich says the statement. “The chess community has long respected the achievements of grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik, but such status comes with a responsibility to uphold the principles of fairness and respect.”
Meanwhile, Sutovsky faced his own backlash after posting a message on X critics took this as an indictment of society for not helping Naroditsky during his lifetime. These remarks drew strong reactions from prominent chess streamers such as Anna Cramling and Nemo Zhou, who called in the comments “disgusting” and called for him to resign.
Naroditsky's family said they hope he is remembered not for the hostility he endured, but for the “joy and inspiration he brought to people every day.” Carlsen called him “a resource for the chess community” and Nakamura called him “the best of us.”
