Parul Gupta

The World Chess Federation suspended former world champion Vladimir Kramnik for at least a year for publicly accusing other players, including the late Daniel Naroditsky, of cheating in violation of its ethics code. The organisation emphasised that anti‑cheating measures must follow official procedures. Naroditsky, a prominent online chess figure who died in 2025 from an accidental overdose, had denied the allegations before his death. Several leading players previously condemned Kramnik’s behaviour. Kramnik says he will appeal the ban, with an additional suspended year dependent on good conduct.

The World Chess Federation suspended former world champion Vladimir Kramnik for at least one year for publicly accusing other players, including the late Daniel Naroditsky, of cheating in ways that violated Fide’s ethics code. An additional 12 months of the ban were suspended pending a three‑year probation. Fide emphasised that cheating allegations must follow formal procedures and that its findings focused on Kramnik’s conduct, not the truth of his claims. Naroditsky, a prominent online chess figure who died in 2025, had denied wrongdoing. Leading players, including Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen, had previously criticised Kramnik’s behaviour.