Controversy is a never-ending chapter for Vladimir Kramnik! In his latest, the chess legend has now taken on FIDE, filing defamation in a Swiss civil court after he was subjected to an inquiry for allegedly harassing players with ‘unsubstantiated’ cheating accusations after American GM Daniel Naroditsky’s death.
Kramnik announced the lawsuit on X, after months of being attacked by fans, FIDE, former and current players.
“I have initiated formal legal proceedings against FIDE in accordance with Swiss law in the Court of Lausanne. Under the applicable Swiss procedural rules, an obligatory preliminary procedure must first take place. This phase typically lasts 2-3 months,” he said.
“The specific legal provisions of the Swiss Code on which the claim is based, as well as the exact amount of financial compensation sought from FIDE, will be finalized and specified by my legal team immediately prior to filing the main claim.
“Additionally, a formal request for the preservation of evidence has been personally delivered to the FIDE headquarters today,” he added.
Vladimir Kramnik’s accusations against Daniel Naroditsky
In his last live stream, Naroditsky spoke about being under huge mental pressure due to Kramnik’s allegations. But the exact cause of his death is not yet known.
Kramnik’s accusations against Naroditsky began in October 2024, when he reportedly attacked him for over a year, claiming that the American GM was cheating in online chess. In a podcast with Fabiano Caruana, Naroditsky also revealed that the accusations took a tremendous toll on his mental health.
Meanwhile, the likes of Wesley So, Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi took to X to slam Kramnik for his behaviour towards Naroditsky after his death. Meanwhile, So also claimed that he never believed in the accusations.
