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Indian Express
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
FIDE says way Vladimir Kramnik presents his points (on cheating in chess) brings a lot of harm to the community
The international governing body of chess, FIDE, has said that it is 'gravely concerned' about the way former world champion Vladimir Kramnik was choosing to presents his points about cheating in chess even as it announced that it will establish a dedicated task force to evaluate the Russian's allegations. Kramnik recently filed a defamation lawsuit against the online chess platform chess news organisation chessdom and Grandmaster David Navara. Navara had written an open letter on May 23 after cheating insinuations from the Russian. In that letter, Navara wrote how he lost sleep after reading the comments from the former world champion and went into depression and had to take professional help from a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist. Now, FIDE too has told Kramnik that 'he must recognise that it is not just his opinion or questions – it is a very clear narrative, and coming from the former World Champion it could be ruinous for the careers and a very well-being of certain players.' As the world governing body of chess, FIDE takes the issue of fair play – both OTB and online – very seriously, especially considering the current widespread popularity of online platforms and their impact on the growth and development of the game worldwide. In this regard, the methods publicly proposed by GM Vladimir Kramnik deserve careful review and assessment for practical applicability. FIDE will establish a dedicated task force to evaluate these methods and invites GM Kramnik to present the details of his approach and statistical data for an official FIDE evaluation. At the same time, we are gravely concerned that the way Mr. Kramnik presents his points brings a lot of harm to the chess community. Mr. Kramnik must recognize, that it is not just his opinion or questions – it is a very clear narrative, and coming from the former World Champion it could be ruinous for the careers and a very well-being of certain players. The current discourse has significantly affected such a respected member of the chess community as GM David Navara and has now led to a defamation lawsuit being filed by GM Kramnik against GM Navara. We wish to emphasize once again that throughout his chess career, GM Navara has earned an unquestionable reputation as a paragon of a fair play. The chess community is well aware that David is a person of a great sensitivity and integrity, particularly vulnerable to any implication of unfair play. Without entering into legal or stylistic analyses of the statements made, we believe that – above all – mutual respect and empathy among colleagues must take precedence. We are firmly convinced that the lawsuit against GM Navara should be withdrawn as soon as possible in the interest of the entire chess community. We sincerely hope that GM Kramnik will take this morally justified step, which we believe will be welcomed by the broader chess world.
Indian Express
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Chess war escalates: Kramnik drags chess.com & GM David Navara to court over ‘slander' claim
Former World Chess Champion, Russia's Vladimir Kramnik, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the online chess platform chess news organisation chessdom and Czech Republic Grandmaster David Navara. On Tuesday, Kramnik took to his social media account X and announced his decision. He wrote, 'Civil defamation/slander case against @chesscom @chessdom and personally Mr. Navara registered today in Tribunal de Geneve Penal (Criminal) case takes little more time to open, but definitely coming.' Civil defamation/slander case against @chesscom @chessdom and personally Mr. Navara registered today in Tribunal de Geneve Penal (Criminal) case takes little more time to open, but definitely coming — Vladimir Kramnik (@VBkramnik) June 24, 2025 This comes as a result of a long-standing feud between Kramnik and the rest of the stakeholders. To give some context, Navara wrote an open letter on 23 May, earlier this year, in response to cheating insinuations and allegations from Kramnik, where the Russian GM had accused Navara of cheating in chess. In that letter titled 'Because we care', Navara wrote how he lost sleep after reading the comments from Kramnik and went into depression and had to take professional help from a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist. 'After reading comments I got very depressed. I had to contact a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist soon after reading GM Vladimir's tweet, as it put me completely out of balance,' Navara wrote in that open letter. 'I was shocked and angry. My sleep and concentration were affected heavily. I quickly wrote to FIDE, sending them a complaint against GM Vladimir. I believed (and still believe) that GM Kramnik's tweet was clearly wrong, and therefore wanted to react quickly and resolutely. This was perhaps a mistake, as I should have consulted a lawyer before taking action, to learn about the legal aspects first,' he added. In this response, the former World Champion said, 'I would kindly ask GM Navara to file official complaint or start a legal case, if he wants. Or stop this shaming blaming campaign.' He then threatened Navara that a similar public statement would lead to league consequences. 'Next similar public statement of David would lead to legal consequences otherwise,' wrote the Russian. I hope everything clear — Vladimir Kramnik (@VBkramnik) May 23, 2025 The feud between and Kramnik goes back a long way, where the Russian was banned from the platform after he repeatedly accused other players of cheating publicly, violating the platform's terms of service. Ukrainian GM Pavel Eljanov came in support for Navara and said Kramnik has crossed the line. He wrote on X, 'I lost respect for Mr. Kramnik's actions some time ago but this lawsuit against respected colleagues crosses a line. I don't know a single colleague who takes his so-called statistical analysis seriously, and the only 'misconduct' of David Navara—and the others—was to call a spade a spade. I lost respect for Mr. Kramnik's actions some time ago but this lawsuit against respected colleagues crosses a line. I don't know a single colleague who takes his so-called statistical analysis seriously, and the only 'misconduct' of David Navara—and the others—was to call a… — Pavel Eljanov (@Eljanov) June 24, 2025 'David is one of the most honest and principled people in the chess world and he deserves full support, not legal actions. I sincerely hope that more colleagues will find the courage to speak up, instead of staying silent as they often do,' wrote Eljanov.
