New Delhi: International Chess Federation (FIDE) CEO Emil Sutovsky on Wednesday said former world champion Vladimir Kramnik's unsavoury comments on American Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky were "appalling and outright shameful" but also questioned the "virtue signalling and like-grabbing" that has followed the young player's shocking death in "loneliness".
Naroditsky, who faced unsubstantiated allegations of cheating by Kramnik months before his shocking demise at 29 in North Carolina, was also reportedly battling psychological issues and had stepped back from commentary and online chess that made him famous. His family has refrained from revealing the exact cause of his death.
Sutovsky questioned the outpouring of love after Naroditsky is no longer alive as he was mostly isolated when "alive and unwell".
"Amount of love given to Danya post-mortem is unprecedented. I can't recall anything of the kind. But here is the problem - where all of you were when Danya was alive and unwell?" he asked in a lengthy post on 'X'.
The FIDE CEO said while Kramnik's tendency to level allegations without concrete evidence is unacceptable and will be dealt with, it is hard to ignore the fact that Naroditsky was fighting loneliness in the wake of the charges "that kept haunting him for more than a year."
"One thing is clear: the way Kramnik approaches it, simply can't be accepted. And his reaction on Danya's passing is appalling and outright shameful. FIDE is not a court of justice, but we will act within our jurisdiction," he said.
Kramnik, in his social media posts, after Naroditsky's death alluded that the player might have also indulged in substance abuse.
"...let's not oversimplify it. It is too simple to focus on Kramnik and forget everything else. Danya was clearly not at his best in recent months. He stopped appearing as a commentator for one reason or another, he was not his usual self," Sutovsky revealed.
"Now, all those who claim how dear Danya was to their heart, how good a friend they were, where have you been? What did you do? All these Kramnik attacks on Danya happened not this week or month. It was not like a shocking accusation, that killed Danya overnight.
"So, I ask you, alleged Danya's friends, what did you do to help him for half a year or so?" he asked without taking names.
World number one Magnus Carlsen, American star Hikaru Nakamura and Indian GM Nihal Sarin have been among the most vocal in raising concerns about the impact that Kramnik's allegations had on Naroditsky.
While Sarin said the "baseless accusations and public interrogations he faced in recent months caused him immense pressure and pain," Carlsen also acknowledged that Naroditsky was not in a "great space" after the verbal attacks from the former world champion.
Sutovsky said Naroditsky had stopped streaming and commentary several months ago but not much was heard from his support group on what was transpiring behind the scenes.
"Did many of you write him to ask, whether he is OK? Why he, arguably the best online commentator disappeared from the screens? Did you text him to ask why did he stop streaming?" he asked.
"All the recent years I had a feeling Danya was not a happy person, although he made many people happy...The boy with shining eyes had less and less shining left. And now, he is gone. Way too early.
"If he looks from above, he might be surprised to read about this or that person allegedly being his friend. Danya was kind to many, but it feels like most of the time he was lonely. Virtue signalling and like-grabbing is the worst way to pay respect to Danya," he added.
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Kramnik's comments shameful but where were Naroditsky's friends when he was alive? FIDE CEO
Daniel Naroditsky (L); Vladimir Kramnik (R)
New Delhi: International Chess Federation (FIDE) CEO Emil Sutovsky on Wednesday said former world champion Vladimir Kramnik's unsavoury comments on American Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky were "appalling and outright shameful" but also questioned the "virtue signalling and like-grabbing" that has followed the young player's shocking death in "loneliness".
Naroditsky, who faced unsubstantiated allegations of cheating by Kramnik months before his shocking demise at 29 in North Carolina, was also reportedly battling psychological issues and had stepped back from commentary and online chess that made him famous. His family has refrained from revealing the exact cause of his death.
Sutovsky questioned the outpouring of love after Naroditsky is no longer alive as he was mostly isolated when "alive and unwell".
"Amount of love given to Danya post-mortem is unprecedented. I can't recall anything of the kind. But here is the problem - where all of you were when Danya was alive and unwell?" he asked in a lengthy post on 'X'.
The FIDE CEO said while Kramnik's tendency to level allegations without concrete evidence is unacceptable and will be dealt with, it is hard to ignore the fact that Naroditsky was fighting loneliness in the wake of the charges "that kept haunting him for more than a year."
"One thing is clear: the way Kramnik approaches it, simply can't be accepted. And his reaction on Danya's passing is appalling and outright shameful. FIDE is not a court of justice, but we will act within our jurisdiction," he said.
Kramnik, in his social media posts, after Naroditsky's death alluded that the player might have also indulged in substance abuse.
"...let's not oversimplify it. It is too simple to focus on Kramnik and forget everything else. Danya was clearly not at his best in recent months. He stopped appearing as a commentator for one reason or another, he was not his usual self," Sutovsky revealed.
"Now, all those who claim how dear Danya was to their heart, how good a friend they were, where have you been? What did you do? All these Kramnik attacks on Danya happened not this week or month. It was not like a shocking accusation, that killed Danya overnight.
"So, I ask you, alleged Danya's friends, what did you do to help him for half a year or so?" he asked without taking names.
World number one Magnus Carlsen, American star Hikaru Nakamura and Indian GM Nihal Sarin have been among the most vocal in raising concerns about the impact that Kramnik's allegations had on Naroditsky.
While Sarin said the "baseless accusations and public interrogations he faced in recent months caused him immense pressure and pain," Carlsen also acknowledged that Naroditsky was not in a "great space" after the verbal attacks from the former world champion.
Sutovsky said Naroditsky had stopped streaming and commentary several months ago but not much was heard from his support group on what was transpiring behind the scenes.
"Did many of you write him to ask, whether he is OK? Why he, arguably the best online commentator disappeared from the screens? Did you text him to ask why did he stop streaming?" he asked.
"All the recent years I had a feeling Danya was not a happy person, although he made many people happy...The boy with shining eyes had less and less shining left. And now, he is gone. Way too early.
"If he looks from above, he might be surprised to read about this or that person allegedly being his friend. Danya was kind to many, but it feels like most of the time he was lonely. Virtue signalling and like-grabbing is the worst way to pay respect to Danya," he added.