International Chess Federation bans Russian player for a year over American grandmaster's death

Corrected: In the article, we mistakenly wrote "2 years" instead of the correct figure; we sincerely apologise our audience for the error.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has disqualified Russian grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik for one year over the death of American grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, 29.

Source: FIDE press service

Details: FIDE's Ethics and Disciplinary Commission found Kramnik guilty of violating the federation's charter, particularly in relation to respectful treatment, dignity and cyberbullying.

FIDE also said Kramnik had repeatedly bullied other grandmasters, publicly spread false allegations, and failed to cooperate with an investigation by the Fair Play Commission.

As a result, Kramnik received a one-year ban with immediate effect and a further one-year suspended ban which will be activated if he commits another violation. The Russian was also ordered to perform unpaid service for the benefit of the chess community.

Kramnik used to publish statistics from Titled Tuesday tournaments, which he dubbed "Cheating Tuesdays", claiming it was impossible to play as consistently well as David Navara and Daniel Naroditsky did without assistance. Navara later posted about his fragile mental state, and Naroditsky told friends that the psychological abuse by Kramnik was taking a heavy toll on him.

Naroditsky was found dead in October 2025 at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

He was found unconscious on a sofa by his friends, fellow grandmaster Oleksandr Bortnyk and Peter Giannatos, founder of the Charlotte Chess Center.

Bortnyk said he had gone to check on his friend after Naroditsky failed to answer his calls and messages. He also said Naroditsky had been deeply distressed to be accused of cheating by Kramnik, a former world chess champion whom he had once admired.

Background: The North Carolina authorities issued a statement in January this year on the cause of Naroditsky's death. A toxicology report found there had been a combination of stimulants and psychoactive substances in his body at the time of death.

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