Chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky was found dead at his home on October 20, just two weeks before his 30th birthday, and Vladimir Kramnik has had his say on the tragic news
Former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik has denied any role in the death of Daniel Naroditsky and has vowed to clear his name in court. Naroditsky was found dead on Sunday, October 20, at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina.
He regularly broadcast his matches on the video live-streaming service Twitch, with his channel having over half a million subscribers. Footage of the American playing on his penultimate morning alive was, until recently, on YouTube.
In an interview with Al Arabiya presenter Michael Prendergast, Kramnik has denied any responsibility for the death of the American Grandmaster after receiving a “storm of accusations” following the sudden news. The Russian has been at the centre of controversy surrounding his public campaign against cheating on online chess.
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“It’s tragic, shocking and really heartbreaking because of the circumstances but I have no guilt in it,” he said. “I never accused Daniel of cheating, I only wanted the evidence examined.”
He added: “It was so bad, so heartbreaking. It was obvious Daniel was in real trouble, he could barely speak, he was falling asleep, behaving strangely. I immediately posted on Instagram asking people to help him.”
Kramnik has confirmed he plans to clear his name with relevant documentation to support his defence. He has accused FIDE, the sport’s governing body, and Chess.com, the leading online chess platform, of attempting to make him a “scapegoat”.
“I am receiving death threats, very ugly, very direct to me and to my family,” he added. “The world of chess must become fair, transparent, and less toxic.
Two of Naroditsky’s closest friends, Peter Giannatos and Oleksandr Bortnyk, were both overhead talking to him during his final stream. Giannatos is the head of their Charlotte Chess Centre and Bortnyk is a Ukrainian grandmaster.
“You’ve gotta go to sleep, man,” Bortnyk said to Naroditsky early on the Saturday morning, hours before his death. “I know, just give me a few more games and I’ll go to sleep. I set a 2am curfew; what’s the matter?”
Giannatos then asked: “What’s the plan?” Naroditsky replied: “Please. I don’t understand what the issue is. Please let me play a few more in peace, and I’m off to bed.”
Following two more games, Giannatos urged Danya to “finish the steam”. After winning both games, Narodtisky replied: “Can I end on the next loss?”
Giannatos responded: “No. I’ll unplug it if you don’t end it.”
Naroditsky then alludes to cheating accusations made by former world champion Vladimir Kramnik – comments that the World Chess Federation (FIDE) chief executive, Emil Sutovsky, has since said will be referred to its ethics and disciplinary committee.
“The problem is,” Naroditsky explains, “since the Kramnik stuff, I feel like if I start doing well, people assume the worst of intentions.”
Giannatos replied: “You don’t have to prove anything to those people.”