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Journalism of Courage
Kramnik cheating allegations: The chess world has been left reeling by the passing of the exceptionally talented 29-year-old American Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky. The precise circumstances of his death are still undisclosed.
Amid the tragedy, attention has turned toward former world champion Vladimir Kramnik, one of the most influential figures in the game. Kramnik has persistently insinuated that Naroditsky cheated in online chess, and headed a relentless social media campaign that, by the American’s own admission, profoundly affected him.
Even Indian GM Nihal Sarin has spoken out in support of Naroditsky, holding Kramnik accountable for the immense pressure he placed upon the late Grandmaster.
The question of whether Naroditsky actually cheated has become irrelevant in the wake of his shocking death. Yet, with a number of top players still targeted by Kramnik as “potential cheaters,” a larger, more pressing question looms: just how widespread and real is cheating in modern chess?
In 2024, Kramnik levied a series of cheating allegations against Naroditsky. The initial accusation emerged in August, when the Russian former world champion posted a thread on X (formerly Twitter). Therein, he compared Naroditsky’s performance in Titled Tuesday, a weekly online event hosted by chess.com, to the historical performance of Magnus Carlsen, insinuating that the American Grandmaster’s results were simply too good to be true.
Kramnik’s insinuations follow a distinct pattern. He consistently presents his own analytical findings, introducing various sets of statistics, yet never supports them with concrete evidence. He actively engages with comments from both supporters and detractors, using these exchanges to reinforce his allegations of foul play, all without ever providing substantial proof. He frequently shares anonymised, out-of-context screenshots of conversations, using them as a foundation for his ongoing campaign. To fund these efforts, he even launched an active GoFundMe and authored several essays and articles dedicated to the topic of cheating.
One of Kramnik’s more direct attacks accused Naroditsky of using a chess engine on a second screen to gain an unfair advantage. Replying to a comment that raised this possibility, Kramnik wrote, “It is CHEATING by all standarts, and if chesscom allowed it, it is PROTECTING CHEATING. GM doesnt need comp neither to play with amateurs nor to explain games after. No excuse in sane mind. It is ugly thing to do and to defend. And increasing to a maximum my concerns about him.”
This relentless pressure ultimately provoked a forceful response from Naroditsky, who called Kramnik “worse than dirt” while defending his own integrity. The confrontation escalated at the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in late December 2024, where a visibly frustrated Naroditsky publicly condemned Kramnik’s behaviour. “I’ve been nice and civil and courteous to this army of troglodyte lowlifes for way too long. I’m really sick of it. I’m not going to tolerate any of the hate any longer,” he said.
Despite repeatedly clarifying his position, Naroditsky described his struggle to cope with the ceaseless allegations. Tragically, following Naroditsky’s death, Kramnik has persisted in targeting him, now resorting to insinuations about potential substance abuse and a decline in mental health. On X, Kramnik posted the cryptic message, “Don’t Do Drugs,” while pointedly referencing what he termed a “strange recent stream” by Naroditsky.
The utilisation of any form of external assistance, whether computers, humans, or bots, to identify superior moves in a given position constitutes cheating in chess, as it provides an unfair advantage.
For quite some time, cheating in chess – primarily in online formats, and to a lesser extent in over-the-board (OTB) play – has been a significant issue confronting the sport.
Globally, online chess has experienced exponential growth following the pandemic, accompanied by a proliferation of high-stakes tournaments with substantial prize funds. The inclusion of chess in the Esports World Cup, starting with its 2025 iteration, further accentuates that online chess is not only the present but also the future of the game though OTB chess remains relevant.
Alongside technological advancement, however, has come the persistent challenge of addressing cheaters. Cheating in online chess is far more widespread and feasible due to the remote nature of play, which offers greater opportunity for illicit assistance.
In contrast, OTB chess halls are now typically secured with cameras, metal detectors, signal jammers, and a suite of anti-cheating measures, making successful cheating under such conditions akin to executing a literal heist.
Despite these safeguards, several absurd cases have emerged that defy conventional thinking, revealing the extraordinary lengths to which some individuals will go to gain an unfair advantage.
Famous chess streamer and educator Levy Rozman, who runs the prominent YouTube channel GothamChess, has elaborated on the methods of cheating in chess. According to Rozman, cheating generally involves consulting an external resource, typically an AI chess engine, to determine the best moves. Techniques range from using a hidden phone in a bathroom to coordinating with an accomplice who relays moves via coded signals or messages, or even employing concealed vibrating devices to receive move instructions. Rozman also notes that such methods can often be detected through indicative behaviours, such as anomalous time usage or statistically improbable accuracy in a high number of games, which signal potential foul play.
The high-profile case of Ukrainian Grandmaster Kiril Shevchenko, who became the highest-rated player to be sanctioned for cheating, is a stark example. Shevchenko admitted to concealing a phone during the Spanish Team Championship in October 2024. This follows the controversial case of Hans Niemann, whom Magnus Carlsen publicly accused of cheating; Niemann later admitted to having cheated in online chess as a minor. In another elaborate instance, French players Sébastien Feller, Arnaud Hauchard, and Cyril Marzolo were found guilty of cheating at the 2010 Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, where they orchestrated a sophisticated system to receive computer-assisted moves during matches.
Anti-cheating measures
To counter cheating in chess, FIDE, the global governing body of chess, and the Association of Chess Professionals (ACP) jointly established the FIDE/ACP Anti-Cheating Committee (ACC) in 2013. This committee is tasked with combating computer-assisted cheating, monitoring anti-cheating systems, and investigating formal complaints. FIDE asserts a strict, no-nonsense policy, which has resulted in competitive bans and the stripping of titles from convicted cheaters.
Separately, Chess.com, the world’s largest online chess platform, maintains its own robust anti-cheating measures, including a dedicated Fair Play team. This team constantly scrutinises thousands of players and millions of games to maintain integrity. The platform employs advanced technology to analyse gameplay for anomalies, engine usage, and other cheating methods, taking appropriate action based on its findings.
Carlsen’s take
For a beginner whose understanding of the game’s intricacies remains shallow, effective cheating would likely require a comprehensive system that guides them toward the best moves throughout. At the elite level, however, the smallest of hints, ones that are notoriously difficult to detect, can sometimes be sufficient.
This was explained thoroughly by five-time world champion and one of the all-time greatest players, Magnus Carlsen, during a podcast with Joe Rogan.
“If I started cheating, you would never know,” Carlsen claimed, a statement that holds profound truth in the current era. “I would just get a move here and there (from an aide). Or maybe if I am playing in a tournament, I just find a system where I get somebody to signal to me when there’s a critical moment: a certain moment where a certain move is much better than the others. That’s really all I would need to go from being the best to being practically unbeatable. There’s so little you need in chess. It really is a scary situation,” he elaborated.
