Vladimir Kramnik responds to 'you ruined Naroditsky's life' allegations as uproar grows: ‘What you guys are doing…’
Vladimir Kramnik and Wesley So were involved in a heated exchange on social media following the tragic death of Daniel Naroditsky.
The shocking death of Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky has resulted in the discourse getting ugly on social media. Several fans are speculating the reason behind the 29-year-old's passing away, and many are holding Russian grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik responsible. It is worth mentioning that Kramnik had repeatedly made allegations of cheating against Naroditsky, and whether his public feud with him had any role to play.
The details surrounding the death of Naroditsky have not been revealed, as no exact reason has been revealed yet. On Thursday, Wesley So, a Filipino-American chess grandmaster, responded to the ongoing discourse, trading barbs with Kramnik, saying the Russian's comments were out of line.
When the death of Danya was confirmed, Kramnik had shared screenshots of a private message sent to him by a viewer who watched the American grandmaster's final stream. The message expressed concern over Naroditsky's state and suspected that he had consumed some drugs.
He also urged Kramnik to stop making the allegations of cheating without providing any proof, as it can cause real damage and harm to someone.
"Just to add my 2 cents. I think and in my opinion Kramnik's response to Daniel's passing was cold and heartless. I didn't want to say anything in the beginning because it is not my place and Vlad has always been great towards me but things have gotten too far. In my personal view what was done and happened to Naroditsky was just shockingly and disturbingly evil and horrific. You wouldn't wish that to happen to your worst enemy," he wrote on X.
"Let's say for a moment that Danya cheated (which I never believed). Would it be worth it to ruin a beautiful young life over a game? What was his soul worth? @VBkramnik , are you done? Maybe its not too late to just stop and fix/make things better. You are a living legend to this game. The chess world is not your enemy," he added.
Kramnik reacts
Soon after Wesley So's post, Kramnik reacted to the same, saying people have not been fair to him and they are blaming him without knowing the exact cause of Daniel's death. He also revealed how his 12-year-old son had a nervous breakdown looking at the chatter online.
"Dear Wesley, with all my respect towards you, falsely stating that "I ruined his life" not even knowing circumstances and cause of his death, is truly undecent and, forgive me, also illegal. What you and others are doing now is ten times worse and can have dramatic consequences," he wrote.
"For me and my family, since I am constantly receiving direct threats on top of insults and slander. In case something happens to us, YOU will also be partly responsible for that, do you understand? Where is your Christian morality? Didnt expect from you, but still with respect. My 12 yo son had a nervous breakdown today, had to visit a doctor. What are you doing, people? You falsely blame me for something and at the same second doing ten times worth slanderous campaign that is extremely dangerous. What is in your minds and souls, if any," he added.
Speaking of Naroditsky, he was widely known as Danya among the chess fraternity. He had become a grandmaster in 2013. He also finished ninth in the World Blitz Championship last year, Reuters reported.
Earlier, Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin had directly accused Kramnik of having a role in Daniel's death, saying the "Russian basically ended up taking a life" through his allegations.
