Idman.biz
A petition launched against Russian grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik, the 14th world chess champion, whose statements allegedly led to the death of American chess player Daniel Naroditsky, has been signed by more than 15,000 people.
İdman.Biz reports that they are demanding Kramnik's disqualification and deprivation of all his titles.
The petition is hosted on the change.org platform.
It is stated that Kramnik's behavior violates the ethical norms of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The signatories demand that the international organization take decisive measures against the Russian grandmaster.
Kramnik, who followed Naroditsky's online broadcasts, raised the alarm on October 19, stating that the American chess player may have been using something stronger than sleeping pills. He appealed to the people around Naroditsky, urging them to help this chess player. Kramnik had previously raised suspicions about Daniel's involvement in chess fraud.
When news of Naroditsky's death broke, some internet users accused Kramnik of putting psychological pressure on him. In their opinion, this pressure may have caused the chess player's tragic death.
The 16th world champion, Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, also stated that Kramnik ruthlessly harassed Naroditsky. "Kramnik's actions against Naroditsky were terrible, and the consequences were obvious. All this had put Naroditsky in an extremely difficult situation long ago," Carlsen said.
Vladimir Kramnik himself announced that he intends to appeal to the court regarding numerous threats addressed to him on social networks after the death of 29-year-old American chess player Daniel Naroditsky.
It should be noted that the news of Naroditsky's death was announced on October 20. The chess player would have celebrated his 30th birthday on November 9.
Naroditsky was ranked 151st in the FIDE world ranking and 17th among US chess players. He was also a world champion among athletes under 12 years old, participated in US championships, and wrote books about chess. In his last tournament called "Charlotte Open", which he held in September 2025, he scored 5.5 points out of a possible 8 points and shared 3rd-4th places.
