Arjun Erigaisi urges FIDE to take action against Vladimir Kramnik for Danya's death: 'Prevent him from...'

The global chess community is mourning the tragic death of American Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, who passed away on October 19, just weeks before his 30th birthday. His untimely death has sparked both grief and anger across the chess world, with several top players accusing former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik of playing a role in Naroditsky’s mental well-being, ultimately leading to his demise.

Naroditsky, who was one of the most popular chess influencers and was also known as Danya, had faced cheating accusations from Kramnik on a regular basis since late 2024. Despite providing no evidence, Kramnik continued to question Naroditsky’s integrity. This allegedly took a serious toll on Naroditsky’s mental health, something he himself admitted during one of his final live streams on Twitch.

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Erigaisi blames Kramnik for Danya's death

Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi is the latest to join the bandwagon in calling Kramnik out for Naroditsky’s passing. Sharing a video from Naroditsky’s last stream, he requested that FIDE take action against the former Russian Grandmaster.

Filipino-American GM Wesley So also criticised Kramnik’s conduct, describing his response to the tragedy as “cold and heartless.” Other fellow Grandmasters, including Nihal Sarin and five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen, also blamed Kramnik for Naroditsky's death.

Meanwhile, Kramnik has urged the police to investigate the circumstances around Naroditsky’s death and claimed he shared some evidence as well. He also accused players who have spoken out of targetting him for exposing the "dark side" of modern chess and running an orchestrated PR campaign.