Vladimir Kramnik Denies Wrongdoing In Death Of Us Chess Star Daniel Naroditsky

Vladimir Kramnik has surgery his soundlessness pursuing nan decease of American grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, calling nan 29-year-old’s passing a calamity while accusing critics of mounting an “unprecedentedly cynical and unlawful run of harassment” against him and his family.

The 50-year-old erstwhile world champion, who has faced wide condemnation for accusing Naroditsky of online cheating without evidence, expressed condolences but denied immoderate individual attacks.

“Despite nan tensions successful our relationship, I was nan only personification successful nan chess organization who, noticing connected video Daniel’s evident wellness issues a time earlier his death, publically called for him to person help,” Kramnik wrote successful a connection connected X. “The consequent attempts, instantly pursuing his passing, to straight nexus this tragic arena to my sanction … transverse each boundaries of basal quality morality.”

Kramnik said his earlier calls for a reappraisal of Naroditsky’s online play had been ignored “despite a important magnitude of evidence”, and claimed he would supply worldly to “any applicable authority”, He said his lawyers were preparing civilian and criminal suits complete “false accusations” that person led to threats against him and his family.

He added that he welcomed what he described arsenic a criminal investigation successful nan United States into nan circumstances of Naroditsky’s decease and offered to assistance pinch “important non-public information”. Kramnik closed by asserting that he was “in bully beingness and intelligence condition” and “under nary circumstances” planned to return his ain life.

The decease of Naroditsky whitethorn person been nan consequence of a supplier overdose and is being investigated arsenic a imaginable suicide, according to a constabulary study released Thursday. A study from nan Charlotte-Mecklenburg constabulary section says Naroditsky was recovered dormant Sunday evening and describes nan lawsuit arsenic a “Death/suicide/overdose/Sudden/Natural Death Investigation”.

“On Sunday October 19th astatine astir 07:11pm officers responded to an assistance medic telephone successful nan area of 9000 Colin Crossing,” nan study says. “Upon presence an unresponsive taxable was located and later pronounced deceased by a medic.”

Naroditsky was discovered astatine his location by adjacent friends, grandmaster Oleksandr Bortnyk and Charlotte Chess Center laminitis Peter Giannatos. The brace had gone to cheque connected him aft he stopped responding to calls and messages.

“I recovered him dormant successful his house,” Bortnyk said successful a watercourse this week. “We came to cheque because he wasn’t answering, and we recovered him dormant connected nan couch.”

Naroditsky, 1 of nan astir celebrated streamers and commentators successful nan chess world, was found dormant past weekend successful Charlotte, North Carolina, wherever he served arsenic caput coach and grandmaster-in-residence astatine nan Charlotte Chess Center. Police person not disclosed a origin of death.

A Stanford-educated prodigy and erstwhile world younker champion, Naroditsky amassed complete 800,000 followers connected Twitch and YouTube. Known arsenic Danya, he was celebrated for his humor, clarity and humility, becoming a starring sound successful chess’s pandemic-era boom. He was besides 1 of nan world’s finest players nether shorter clip controls, finishing ninth astatine past year’s blitz world title successful New York.

Naroditsky consistently denied nan cheating allegations but acknowledged nan toll they had taken connected his intelligence health. “Ever since nan Kramnik stuff, I consciousness for illustration if I commencement doing well, group presume nan worst,” Naroditsky said successful his last livestream.

Daniel Naroditsky amassed complete 800,000 followers connected Twitch and YouTube. Photograph: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club

Anger complete Kramnik’s behaviour has dominated nan chess world. Hikaru Nakamura called his behaviour “disgusting”, while five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen described it arsenic “horrible”. Indian grandmaster Nihal Sarin, who played Naroditsky successful his last online match, accused Kramnik of “taking a life,” saying his vigilante run against suspected cheaters was ineffective and “completely unacceptable”.

Kramnik, who dethroned Garry Kasparov successful 2000 and held nan world title for astir 7 years, has made akin cheating accusations against different players. In 2023 Chess.com banned him from posting, citing “baseless and damaging” claims.

The International Chess Federation (Fide) said this week it was “looking into” Kramnik’s behavior. “The measurement Kramnik approaches it simply can’t beryllium accepted,” Fide main executive Emil Sutovsky told Reuters. The federation plans to grant Naroditsky pinch a memorial award.

Fide president Arkady Dvorkovich later confirmed that each of Kramnik’s nationalist statements astir Naroditsky, earlier and aft his death, would beryllium referred to nan organisation’s Ethics and Disciplinary Commission “for independent consideration”.

“Human life and dignity are basal values shared by each of us,” Dvorkovich said successful a statement. “The chess organization has agelong respected nan achievements of GM Vladimir Kramnik, but specified stature brings a work to uphold nan principles of fairness and respect.”

Sutovsky, meanwhile, faced his ain backlash aft posting a connection connected X that critics saw arsenic blaming nan organization for not helping Naroditsky while he was alive. The remarks drew dense backlash from salient chess streamers for illustration Anna Cramling and Nemo Zhou, who called nan comments “disgusting” and urged him to resign.

Naroditsky’s family person said they dream he is remembered not for nan hostility he endured but for “the joyousness and inspiration he brought group each day”. Carlsen called him “a assets to nan chess community”, while Nakamura described him arsenic “the champion of us”.

• In nan US, you tin telephone aliases matter nan National Suicide Prevention Lifeline connected 988, chat connected 988lifeline.org, aliases text HOME to 741741 to link pinch a situation counselor. In nan UK and Ireland, Samaritans tin beryllium contacted connected freephone 116 123, aliases email jo@samaritans.org aliases jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, nan situation support work Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other world helplines tin beryllium recovered astatine befrienders.org