Former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik says he intends to file a lawsuit against the International Chess Federation (FIDE), accusing the organization of “unacceptable and biased behavior” following its decision to refer his recent public comments to the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission.
The statement comes amid an ongoing storm in the chess world after the sudden death of American grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, 29, who was found dead in his Charlotte, North Carolina home last weekend. Police have said there are no signs of foul play, but the case has drawn global attention because Naroditsky had been the target of repeated cheating accusations by Kramnik in recent months.
Speaking to Match TV, Kramnik said he was “shocked” by Naroditsky’s death, but strongly rejected claims from FIDE officials that his comments contributed to the toxic atmosphere surrounding the young player.
“Naroditsky’s death is a great tragedy and a shock, including for me,” Kramnik told the Russian outlet. “We don’t know the circumstances of Daniel’s death. I believe the federation should investigate all the circumstances surrounding his passing.”
Kramnik insisted that his remarks were taken out of context, and accused FIDE leadership—particularly President Arkady Dvorkovich and Director General Emil Sutovsky—of launching what he called a “smear campaign” against him.
“Dvorkovich doesn’t support my statements after Naroditsky’s death. Sutovsky says the same. But I don’t understand what they’re talking about,” Kramnik said. “I never said anything bad about him, and I demand that FIDE back up these accusations with an actual quote. Otherwise, this could become the subject of legal proceedings.”
FIDE’s Sharp Response
Earlier this week, Dvorkovich released an official statement on FIDE’s X (formerly Twitter) account, saying that the organization had referred all public statements made by Kramnik—both before and after Naroditsky’s death—to the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission “for independent consideration.”
“Human life and dignity are fundamental values shared by all of us,” Dvorkovich wrote. “Public debate within the chess world has too often moved beyond acceptable boundaries, harming not only people’s reputation but their very well-being.”
The statement emphasized that while FIDE respects Kramnik’s contributions to chess, great achievements come with “a responsibility to uphold fairness and respect.”
That decision appears to have angered Kramnik deeply. He told Match TV that he considered FIDE’s move “unacceptable from both a moral and legal standpoint.”
“It reveals the full extent of corruption in the modern chess world,” he said. “All professionals know that one American organization essentially wields decisive influence in chess. This has led to an explosive situation that resulted in a tragic loss of life.”
Kramnik’s Accusations and the Fallout
The 14th World Champion, who famously dethroned Garry Kasparov in 2000, has spent the past year making public cheating accusations against several top players, including Hikaru Nakamura, Liem Le, David Navara, and Naroditsky.
In multiple blog posts and online statements, Kramnik has claimed that a large number of elite online games show statistically improbable move patterns that suggest engine assistance. His self-styled “investigation” into what he calls the “#chessmafia” has targeted players and platforms associated with Chess.com—the world’s largest online chess site and a major commercial partner of FIDE.
Chess.com has repeatedly denied Kramnik’s claims, calling them “baseless.” In a recent statement following Naroditsky’s death, the platform said it had met with Kramnik “numerous times,” investigated the dozens of players he named, and “found his accusations unsubstantiated in the vast majority of cases.”
Kramnik’s account and blog were later restricted by Chess.com for “repeated violations of the fair play discussion policy.”
“What Does This Have to Do with Me?”
In his new interview, Kramnik argued that Naroditsky’s professional difficulties had “nothing to do with” his own remarks.
He pointed out that Naroditsky had been removed as a commentator from Chess.com and another major website earlier this year, and that the platform had publicly disqualified him in July 2025.
“It’s a well-known fact that after my story with Daniel Naroditsky, for reasons unknown but in no way related to me, he was no longer used as a commentator,” Kramnik said. “He was very upset by these recent events. But what does this have to do with me?”
Kramnik said he was now facing “a shameful campaign of harassment” from within the chess world.
“The people who actually run chess and made those decisions have launched a campaign of harassment against me and my loved ones,” he said. “FIDE’s statements are unacceptable. They should be looking into what really happened to Daniel, not attacking me.”
Defending His Record
Kramnik said that his comments on online cheating were “seriously substantiated” and that he has always been willing to provide data and evidence to FIDE.
“All the materials I have are carefully reasoned,” he said. “In all the time I’ve been speaking publicly about cheating, FIDE has never once approached me for information. On the contrary, I myself offered to provide it during the Olympiad in Budapest, and they ignored me.”
The Russian grandmaster added that he was preparing a legal case against FIDE over what he described as “illegal and immoral statements” made by some of its officials.
“I am extremely disappointed with FIDE’s actions,” Kramnik concluded. “They are not protecting fairness or truth. I will go to court to defend my name.”
The Broader Context
The tension between Kramnik and FIDE has been building for months. In June, the federation issued a carefully worded statement acknowledging that Kramnik’s “methods for detecting online cheating deserve careful review,” while warning that his public accusations “bring harm to the chess community.”
That same statement urged Kramnik to withdraw a defamation lawsuit he had filed against Czech grandmaster David Navara, another player he had accused of cheating online.
With Naroditsky’s death now under police investigation and the chess world still in mourning, the dispute between Kramnik and FIDE appears to be reaching its most serious phase yet—one that could have far-reaching consequences for the sport’s credibility and governance.
For many, the issue is no longer just about whether Kramnik’s suspicions were justified, but whether his campaign—and FIDE’s response to it—has pushed professional chess into a moral crisis.
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.
