When chess streamer and grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura went live on November 5, he began with a remark that has since set the online chess world buzzing.
“I’ve seen DMs that a top-10 player sent to Danya saying, ‘You can confess to me,’” Nakamura said, referring to the late American grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky. He paused before adding, “He isn’t Ian Nepomniachtchi, because Nepo’s not in the top 10 anymore.”
Nakamura never mentioned a name. Yet within minutes, Reddit and X were filled with speculation that the player he was describing might be Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri.
A sensitive subject
Naroditsky, 29, was one of the most respected figures in modern chess — a grandmaster, teacher, and popular online commentator known for his patience and warmth. His death last month shocked the chess community and reignited debate about online accusations and mental health in a sport increasingly shaped by social media.
For more than a year, Naroditsky had been publicly questioned by former world champion Vladimir Kramnik, who posted online analyses suggesting the American’s results showed “statistical anomalies.” Kramnik later said he had only raised “argumentized suspicions,” not formal accusations.
Still, the remarks left deep scars. Friends said Naroditsky felt haunted by the allegations, which some fans continued to bring up long after the controversy faded from headlines.
In that context, Nakamura’s reference to a “top-10 player” privately messaging Naroditsky struck a nerve.
“You can confess to me”
The line — “You can confess to me” — implied not a question but an invitation to admit guilt. Nakamura didn’t elaborate on how he knew of the message, or whether he had seen it directly. But the claim suggested that beyond Kramnik’s public posts, other elite players may have privately accused Naroditsky of cheating.
“I’m not going to say more,” Nakamura said. “At this point I don’t intend to talk about him ever again. The only way to deal with it is to completely ignore it.”
That brief comment was enough to launch a storm of speculation online.
Reddit reacts
On Reddit’s r/chess forum, one thread titled “Hikaru says top-10 player asked Danya to confess” quickly drew hundreds of replies.
“Yep, I saw that and instantly thought he is 100 percent talking about Anish,” one user wrote.
Another added, “He said explicitly that it’s not Nepo, since Nepo’s not top 10 anymore. That leaves only a few options.”
Others pushed back against the assumption. “Unless he has screenshots of DMs, he’s legally not able to say who it is,” one commenter noted. “We’re all just guessing.”
Still, some users pointed to Giri’s outspoken personality and frequent social-media presence. “Anish likes to insert himself into conflicts and appear self-righteous,” wrote another Redditor. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he messaged Danya that way.”
Not everyone agreed. “There’s a world of difference between asking someone to ‘come clean’ and accusing them outright,” a user replied. “We just don’t know what was said or why.”
A brief but telling exchange
Giri and Naroditsky’s public interaction during the height of the controversy in October 2024 also drew attention at the time.
On X (formerly Twitter), Giri posted that he had “ended up playing eight games against the ever more popular Daniel Naroditsky,” adding that viewers could “watch the games, as well as my eye movement on my stream.”
The remark, made at a time when Kramnik was claiming that Naroditsky’s online play looked suspicious, was read by some as playful — but others saw it as tone-deaf. “You think you’re helping by engaging Kramnik lightly instead of confronting him seriously. It encourages him more,” one user replied.
Even Kramnik himself joined the thread, writing, “And many other interesting things 🙂,” which only added to the tension.
The exchange captured the uneasy atmosphere in chess at the time: top players publicly joking about a matter that, for others, was deeply personal.
The online fallout
Anish Giri has not commented publicly on the speculation, and Nakamura has not clarified his remarks. Neither has provided evidence of the alleged message.
Still, the episode reflects a growing tension in modern chess: reputations can rise or crumble overnight, often not over the board but online.
In recent years, platforms such as Chess.com, Lichess, and YouTube have transformed chess into a digital-first sport. But the same visibility that helped figures like Naroditsky and Nakamura reach global audiences has also magnified controversy.
The aftermath of Naroditsky’s death has already split the community. A petition with more than 50,000 signatures called for FIDE to revoke Kramnik’s world titles, while others accused Chess.com of censorship after it limited Kramnik’s account.
Now, Nakamura’s single sentence has opened another fault line — not about engines or data, but about how elite players treat one another when the cameras are off.
A community searching for restraint
In the days after the clip went viral, some chess fans urged restraint. “Speculation only hurts more people,” one user posted. “We’ve already lost someone wonderful. Maybe we should stop guessing who said what.”
So far, no evidence has surfaced confirming that any grandmaster sent such a message to Naroditsky. Nakamura’s statement remains unverified, and there is no indication that FIDE or any organization plans to investigate it.
Still, his words have resurfaced old wounds in a community still grieving — a reminder of how even a few sentences, spoken before a live audience, can ripple far beyond their original intent.
I’m the senior editor of Attacking Chess, a keen chess player, rated above 2300 in chess.com. You can challenge me or asking questions at Chess.com.
