What did Vladimir Kramnik say about Daniel Naroditsky's death?

Former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik has stirred controversy after sharing a series of posts on X in the wake of Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky's sudden passing. In his posts, Kramnik suggests that Naroditsky had been struggling for some time, and those around him ignored signs of distress. His statement has garnered attention in the chess community, with many people seeming upset.

On X, Kramnik claimed he had previously warned others about Naroditsky's well-being. He accused others of prioritizing their image over helping someone in need. Kramnik also mentioned Naroditsky’s conflicts with Chess.com and Freestyle Chess, suggesting that being removed from commentary roles might have deeply affected him.

Furthermore, a day before Naroditsky's death, he claimed that the former's Twitch videos and threads were deleted. Kramnik seems to suggest that Naroditsky was undergoing substance abuse.

For those unaware, Vladimir Kramnik was the World Champion from 2000 to 2007, before becoming a controversial figure due to his remarks on top chess players, often alleging cheating. He had leveled various accusations against Naroditsky, with the latter claiming such allegations had negatively impacted his mental health.

Fans exploded online after Kramnik’s post, with the majority disliking his tone and comments. Many accused him of harassment and said his public claims did more harm than good:

“Vladimir Kramnik championed a false narrative and caused persistent infliction on late GM Daniel Naroditsky. Kramnik was actually cyberstalking Danya and didn't care about his mental health” @Anthony1Enahoro commented frustratingly

“Meanwhile, Vladimir Kramnik tweeted this just yesterday. The chess world hasn’t witnessed worse than this immoral, rotten piece of s***” @ausoa22 expressing disbelief over his actions.

“Where is the ‘rest in peace’? A person died. Do you care? Forget about chess for a moment, we lost a soul” @BagCalls criticized Kramnik for showing no empathy

Hikaru Nakamura responds to Vladimir Kramnik’s comments about Daniel Naroditsky

During a livestream on Kick, a viewer asked GM Hikaru Nakamura about Kramnik’s posts. The former responded:

"I'm sorry, I'll just say it. I said it before, I'll say it again, Kramnik can go f*** himself. Like, I'll just say it, he can go f*** himself and rot in hell."

As of writing, Daniel Naroditsky’s family has not disclosed the cause of death.

Edited by Adarsh J Kumar