FIDE trying into Kramnik’s marketing campaign in opposition to Naroditsky

The world chess federation (FIDE) stated on Wednesday (October 22, 2025) it was addressing former world champion Vladimir Kramnik’s public assaults on U.S. grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, whose sudden loss of life this week at 29 has prompted outrage and requires motion.

The reason behind Naroditsky’s loss of life has not been made public.

FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky instructed Reuters the organisation was “trying into” Kramnik’s year-long marketing campaign accusing Naroditsky of on-line dishonest.

Naroditsky, a preferred commentator and streamer, denied any wrongdoing and appeared visibly distressed in his closing Twitch broadcast final weekend, the place he referred to the toll the controversy had taken on him, in accordance with the now-deleted video.

World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura condemned Kramnik’s conduct in a stream following Naroditsky’s loss of life, utilizing an expletive to denounce the Russian’s behaviour. Former world champion Magnus Carlsen instructed viewers in a separate broadcast that Kramnik’s remedy of Naroditsky was “horrible”.

Indian grandmaster Nihal Sarin stated on X that Kramnik “must pay for what he’s doing,” alleging that Naroditsky had been beneath “immense stress” from the accusations. Chess streamer Nemo Zhou additionally urged FIDE to intervene, calling the scenario “unacceptable”.

FIDE expressed condolences to Naroditsky’s household and stated it will honour him with a particular award recognising his contributions as a participant, instructor and commentator.

Kramnik, who has made comparable public accusations in opposition to different gamers in recent times, instructed Reuters, “I’d somewhat inform the story in complete, no want commenting on Emil Sutovsky assertion, however will touch upon FIDE president (Arkady Dvorkovich) assertion, if it’ll seem.”

Kramnik, the world champion from 2000-07, is broadly thought-about one of many biggest gamers within the sport.

Naroditsky, a Stanford graduate and former world under-12 champion whose mother and father had been Jewish emigrants from the Soviet Union, was a number one determine in on-line chess with lots of of 1000’s of followers throughout YouTube and Twitch. He completed ninth in final 12 months’s blitz world championship.