Daniel Naroditsky and the Chess World’s Failure on Bullying

Daniel Naroditsky was a popular chess streamer and influencer who mixed humour with his skillful play and engaging commentary. Naroditsky, who would’ve turned 30 on November 9th, was found dead in his home days after his final stream. He appeared extremely distraught and reflective of the bullying he suffered at the hands of Russian Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik.

In February of last year, The Chess Drum ran an opinion piece titled, “How Will Chess Address Cyberbullying?” The last sentence of this article was, “How long will it be before we have our first casualty at the hands of keyboard warriors?” Unfortunately, this has become a reality with the death of Grandmaster Naroditsky.

The chess world is in complete shock at the loss of Naroditsky. It is tragic, not because he was just shy of his 30th birthday, nor because he was one of the world’s more popular chess personalities. His death is tragic because not enough was done to ward off the rampant cheating accusations that sullied the image of chess. The chess world has failed.

After an outpouring of sympathy, the discussion has turned to Vladimir Kramnik, whose cheating accusations targeted Naroditsky and several other high-profile players, including Hikaru Nakamura (USA) and David Navara (Czech Republic). As a result, International Chess Federation (FIDE) President Arkady Dvorkovich released a statement announcing an investigation.

Human life and dignity are fundamental values shared by all of us. While we hold deep respect and love for the game of chess that unites our community, these values must always come first.

In recent times, public debate within the chess world has too often moved beyond the boundaries of acceptable, harming not only people’s reputation but their very well-being. When this happens, discussions can turn into harassment, bullying, and personal attacks — a particularly serious concern in today’s environment. 

The chess community has long respected the achievements of GM Vladimir Kramnik, and his contributions to our sport are undeniable. The same high standards that accompany great achievements, however, also confer a responsibility to uphold the principles of fairness and respect and to be ambassadors for the sport. 

Therefore, I, along with the FIDE Management Board, will formally refer all relevant public statements made by GM Vladimir Kramnik — both before and after the tragic death of GM Daniel Naroditsky — to the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission for independent consideration. 

At the same time, I reaffirm that FIDE will take appropriate action in any case where a lack of respect, public harassment, or bullying is observed within the chess community. We all share responsibility for ensuring that our sport remains a space of integrity, respect, and humanity — values that must always prevail over hostility and division.

Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE President (link)

A Precedent

While the statement was appropriate, it is widely believed that not enough was done earlier to head off instances of cheating accusations that had long spun out of control. I am not only speaking of Kramnik’s attacks on Naroditsky, but also of Magnus Carlsen’s accusations against Hans Niemann. The global condemnation of Niemann brought dishonor to the world of chess.

This unfortunate case set a bad precedent and put in motion a barrage of cyberbullying never seen before in chess. It also gave a license to the bullying that followed from 2022 to 2024. When the Carlsen-Niemann global controversy exploded, it flooded the mass media and was left boiling intensely without any intervention or effort to cool it down. The sheer volume and energy of comments were unfathomable.

Any form of bullying can negatively affect the victim’s well-being, both at the time the bullying occurs and in the future. Psychological research suggests being victimized by a cyberbully increases stress and may result in anxiety and depression symptoms. Some studies find anxiety and depression increase the likelihood adolescents will become victims to cyberbullying.

~ American Psychological Association article on Cyberbullying (link)

While this investigation was happening, millions of hateful and vulgar comments were hurled against Niemann, then a 19-year-old promising American player. Megathreads on Reddit were also filled with extremely callous remarks. As the social media assault continued against Niemann, he responded with a massive $100 million lawsuit.

While the firestorm continued and pressure mounted, there were serious concerns about the Niemann’s mental well-being. Ironically, Niemann speaks to Naroditsky about the effect of the controversy. This video has now become extremely important.

Hans Niemann reflects on the damage done to his reputation and psyche over the past two years following the 2022 cheating scandal
byu/recallingmemories inchess

Niemann was the subject of relentless attacks worldwide (some in languages he couldn’t read), calls for a lifetime ban, imprisonment… even physical harm. People who were not involved in chess joined the fray and piled on. He became the butt of jokes on late-night comedy shows, was analyzed by behavioral psychologists (for cheating tendencies), and had every aspect of his life scrutinized, from family sources of income to every recorded game he played. There was even a thread on the authenticity of his youth cycling competitions in the Netherlands.

Recap videos were made of every Niemann loss (by influencers) to promote the narrative that he had reached 2700 by cheating. Research conducted by armchair statisticians (here and here) asserted that Niemann was, in reality, much weaker than his 2700 rating suggested. Their dubious methodologies were taken as expert analyses. Then there were the questions he had to address about sex toys. It was total humiliation.

“How long will it be before we have our first casualty at the hands of keyboard warriors?”

“How Will Chess Address Cyberbullying?,” The Chess Drum, 24 February 2024

As the proof of cheating was not forthcoming, GMs were careful in their defense of Niemann but admitted they were disappointed with how the issue was handled. Amazingly, Niemann had the resolve to withstand the global barrage of ridicule and harassment. In fact, it seemed he redirected the negative energy and turned it into personal motivation. Who among us could have weathered such a global firestorm?

FIDE’s Chance

Weeks after the Sinquefield incident on September 27th, 2022, FIDE issued a “Statement on the Carlsen-Niemann polemic.” In his statement, Dvorkovich stated,

First of all, we strongly believe that the World Champion has a moral responsibility attached to his status, since he is viewed as a global ambassador of the game. His actions impact the reputation of his colleagues, sportive results, and eventually can be damaging to our game. We strongly believe that there were better ways to handle this situation.

Three days later, FIDE announced an investigatory panel by the Fair Play Commission, and later referred the case to the Ethics and Discipline Commission (EDC). They later decided to wait six months for the verdict in the lawsuit filed by Niemann. In June 2023, one count of the lawsuit was dismissed. After months of deliberation, FIDE announced the EDC’s decision on December 13th, 2023.

“The EDC registered the case on 20 February 2023 and informed GM Carlsen accordingly. GM Carlsen was called upon to defend himself against charges of the violation of the Ethics and Disciplinary Code, more particularly Art. 11.7(f) [reckless or manifestly unfounded accusation of chess cheating], alternatively Art. 11.9(j) [attempt to undermine honor], as well as Art. 11.6(b) [disparagement of FIDE’s reputation and interests] and Art. 11.9(b) [withdrawal from tournament without valid reason]. (link)

FIDE fined Carlsen 10,000 euros for withdrawing from the tournament “without valid reason” yet they stated that he had reasonable grounds to suspect cheating at the Sinquefield tournament. No tangible proof was given on those reasonable grounds. Past cases of online cheating were being revisited as justification. Niemann had admitted to cheating online years before the tournament. How he could have cheated at the Sinquefield tournament became an afterthought. All that was offered were impractical cheating theories.

Saying all of this, Magnus Carlsen should not be the entire focus. He made glaring mistakes in the process, but it is the chess world’s duty to protect the branding of chess. We could also blame the governing body FIDE, but again, that would not be sufficient. If FIDE had given at least a public censure or warning to Carlsen, it might have gone a long way toward showing that no one is above the law. Indeed, a stronger condemnation of the incessant bullying (due to false accusations) could’ve set a more serious tone.

The reality is that the entire chess community was complicit in creating an environment where both rampant cheating and reckless cheating accusations were able to take hold. We have to be the custodians of chess if we don’t want to end up on late-night comedy sketches or tragically… the six o’clock news.

The Aftermath and Runaway Accusations

The Carlsen-Niemann case gradually faded after a few years, but Niemann was left to piece together what remained of his reputation. As years melted away, the sentiment gradually shifted, and fans softened toward Niemann. Despite being psychologically battered, Niemann found personal resolve and seems to have rebounded from that sordid chapter of his life. As he continues to heal, he remains committed to chess and currently sits in the world’s top 20.

Not all people can rebound from relentless cyberbullying. Unfortunately, we find ourselves in the middle of the tragic loss of Naroditsky, who spoke of the pressures of being a high-profile influencer. He described it as a “whirlwind” and also spoke of the impact Kramnik’s cheating accusations had on him. It was a pain he was not able to shake.

Back in 2017, FIDE did take action against Natalia Zhukova, the Ukrainian who led a campaign to accuse Mihaela Sandu of cheating after the Romanian was 5/5 and 6/7. This excellent score included upset wins over Aleksandra Goryachkina, Olga Girya, Lela Javakhishvili, and Antoaneta Stefanova. After the investigation into the Sandu case showed no cheating had occurred, Zhukova was given a three-month suspended sentence. Sandu responded to the ruling,

Another question to FIDE: Isn’t this mild punishment a way of telling other players that they can do this again? They would only risk a suspended ban which is only a joke (for people without character) if they would get a chance to win a good prize in a strong tournament. Unfortunately, people without character are everywhere, that’s why you need firm rules and punishments to make sure attacks like that don’t happen again. (link)

~Mihaela Sandu after learning of sentencing of Natalia Zhukova

Sandu’s words, written two years after the incident, were remarkably prescient. Again… FIDE imposed a punishment but reduced its severity by suspending the sentence or granting probation. Incidentally, Zhukova won the tournament while an emotionally rattled Sandu lost her last four games. Sandu received no reparation for damages, only consoling words from the chess world.

The Naroditsky Tragedy

Those of us in the U.S. tournament scene saw Naroditsky as a boy with a diminutive stature but tremendous talent. He wore fluffy hair and was wise beyond his years. He wrote his first book at 14 and was a bit of a wordsmith. His prodigious intellectual gifts shone through in commentary. On his last stream, he appeared to be disoriented, sleep-deprived, and incoherent. There was the voice of Peter Giannatos of the Charlotte Chess Club in the background, urging him to end the stream and get some rest.

There was a genuine concern, but no one could imagine that the pressure had reached a breaking point. Days later, Giannatos and Olexandr Bortnyk found Naroditsky in his home on the couch, unresponsive. Medics were called to the scene, but he was pronounced deceased. According to news reports, the case “is being investigated as a possible suicide.” After the announcement of his passing, the entire chess world reacted with intense shock and fury. After the initial outpouring of sympathy, attention turned to Kramnik.

Here is why…

Dvorkovich released a statement of condolence, referred the bullying case to the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission (EDC), and mentioned Kramnik by name. Kramnik’s accusation also involved Hikaru Nakamura, and David Navara, one of the most principled chess players on the planet. Navara expressed emotional trauma, while Naroditsky also seemed to suffer lingering effects of the psychological battering.

It is the view of this writer that there was insufficient urgency in addressing cheating accusations. Yes, cheating itself is at epidemic levels in chess, but cheating accusations are just as insidious. Unfortunately, we don’t take them as seriously because it is so easy to do. Accusing someone without tangible proof is not only defamation, but also robs one of the humanity they have spent a lifetime building.

Players also have a duty to protect the sanctity of the game. Let’s be brutally frank. Some of the people speaking so strongly against the bullying of Naroditsky were among those who bullied and cast aspersions at Niemann. We have good reason to be upset with Kramnik, but we should also be upset with those who helped to create an environment conducive to bullying in other cases. Some influencers even lent their platforms and allowed such behavior to run rampant.

Bullying, Racism, Sexism, and the Image Problem of Chess

Let’s be clear: bullying, whether in person or through electronic devices, cannot be tolerated. I have been on streams and chats where there is so much racism, sexism, nationalism, and bullying spewed. As diligent as they are, the moderators cannot seem to keep up. Chess has become a community of malcontents, with drama stretching back to the 70s… non-stop.

We presented a previous op/ed piece here, “Has cheating (accusations) in chess gone too far?” It mentioned the suspension of Baadur Jobava, who went on a tirade targeting Chinese players for cheating. Chess.com also publicly banned Kramnik in December 2023, and both suspensions were publicly announced.

pic.twitter.com/d2E9tGWbfv

— Chess.com (@chesscom) February 6, 2023

pic.twitter.com/4VHXjO1vGd

— Chess.com (@chesscom) December 24, 2023

Maybe Kramnik genuinely believed in his “research” and felt he was bringing light to a well-known problem, but he was extremely reckless. He has released a statement on X/Twitter defending himself… albeit awkwardly. Again… being unknowingly wrong is not an excuse for the damage one inflicts. The question is, will the pending punishment on Kramnik be enough to deter others? It may.

Is chess the symbol of refinement and erudition as it was characterized in the 20th century? To put it plainly… no. It has become more inclusive of both the right and the wrong things. In the new age, it has become a game with cases of sexual predation, intergenerational bullying, physical assaults, cheating scandals, poorly-behaved champions, and bad marketing optics.

Finally…

In this information age, words are as sharp as swords, and combined with anonymity, people can inflict real damage without consequence. Let’s respect the memory of Naroditsky and not use his name in vain, but also work hard to prevent other bullying tragedies, whether through personal exchanges, clickbait videos, or social media chats. During the “Just Checking” segment in New in Chess (2024/6), I was asked what changes I would make in the chess world. My answer was

Bans and stiff financial penalties for false accusations of cheating, no matter who it is. Accusing someone of cheating without any proof is easy to do, and there is currently little risk of punishment, yet the damage can be devastating, even if later disproven.

While this is a first in chess, we should have learned from the history of bullying cases leading to psychological trauma. Nevertheless, here we have an unprecedented loss of life in the chess world due to the effects of bullying. This will go down in history, and Daniel Naroditsky will be analyzed for reasons apart from chess. His death will become a case that psychology and psychiatry students will study for the foreseeable future. Let’s take this lesson to heart.

Thanks for your service to chess, Danya.