JULY 4, 2026

Chess federation suspends former world champion Kramnik for unproven cheating allegations against Naroditsky

FIDE, the international governing body for chess, suspended former world champion Vladimir Kramnik for at least one year after he publicly accused fellow players, including American grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, of cheating without adequate evidentiary support. Naroditsky, who denied the allegations, died in October at age 29 from an accidental overdose that caused an abnormal heartbeat. Kramnik has stated he intends to appeal the suspension.

FIDE announced on Friday that it was suspending Vladimir Kramnik, a former world chess champion, for a minimum of one year. The federation said Kramnik had publicly alleged cheating against identifiable players, including Daniel Naroditsky, without "adequate evidentiary support," violating its rules against cyber bullying.

The federation said combating cheating remains one of its priorities, but that allegations must be brought through established procedures and supported by appropriate evidence. "He exposed identifiable players to unjustified reputational harm and undermined the safeguards established by the disciplinary framework," federation representatives said in their decision.

Kramnik said in an email to the Associated Press that he plans to appeal the ruling. "I am absolutely confident that this unlawful verdict will ultimately be overturned, and I intend to pursue all necessary instances to the very end in order to restore justice and, in particular, my reputation," he wrote in a social media post.