Ajit John
ARPORA: The International Chess Federation (FIDE) President Arkady Dvorkovich has confirmed that the global chess body is committed to investigating allegations surrounding former world champion Vladimir Kramnik’s conduct following the tragic death of Grandmaster Daniil Dubov Naroditsky.
“The matter has been handed to the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission, which will examine evidence related to Kramnik’s public insinuations of cheating in online chess,” he informed.
Dvorkovich expressed personal sorrow and institutional responsibility regarding Naroditsky, who died earlier this year. “We are really sorry about the tragic death of Daniil. He was a great player and educator. For me, it’s personal,” Dvorkovich said.
“But it’s also an institutional issue,” he added, noting that Naroditsky and Czech GM David Navara had been deeply distressed by aggressive insinuations made in public forums concerning suspected cheating.
While Kramnik did not make formal accusations, Dvorkovich stated that the “tone and repeated hints” contributed to a damaging environment, acknowledging, “We know for sure that Daniil was affected.” FIDE has received evidence and forwarded it to the Ethics Commission for independent study. Dvorkovich clarified, “I’m not accusing anyone at this point. It is too early to make conclusions.”
When asked if Kramnik would be compelled to provide his statistical and technical methodology, the FIDE President confirmed, “Yes, we will ask him to provide evidence.”
He revealed that he had personally advised Kramnik months earlier to moderate his approach and share the analytical foundations behind his claims. “He promised to provide a methodology, but we did not receive it,” Dvorkovich said.
“We felt it was going in the wrong direction.”
Calls have emerged within the global chess community for disciplinary action, including stripping of titles. Dvorkovich emphasised that such outcomes cannot be discussed before the investigation concludes. The commission’s findings are expected in two to four months, and Dvorkovich stressed he would not personally intervene.
The controversy has reignited the debate on cheating in chess, especially online. Dvorkovich noted that FIDE has always treated fair play as a serious concern, but the online ecosystem remains challenging due to fragmented detection methods. FIDE currently does not automatically translate online cheating bans to over-the-board events, owing to a lack of transparency in the statistical models used by platforms such as Chess.com.
“We need deeper collaboration,” he said. “We must understand the methodology before sanctioning over-the-board participation.”
On physical venues, Dvorkovich affirmed confidence, stating that technological monitoring can detect any illicit signals: “Everyone should be aware – if there is a real signal, we will find it.”
The Chess World Cup, which brings 206 players from more than 80 countries vying for a share of a $2 million prize fund, also offers three berths for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, whose winner will challenge World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju for the crown.
The decision to host the World Cup in Goa followed an assessment by the All India Chess Federation (AICF), which selected the State based on logistics, venue capacity, weather, accommodation and local support.
Dvorkovich praised Goa’s “combination of nature and local spirit” and the ability to secure a suitable congress venue despite short notice.
India’s deepening relationship with FIDE, he said, began with the 2022 Chennai Olympiad, which the State government organised at short notice. Since then, India has annually hosted multiple international events. A new memorandum with Kalinga Institute of Technology (KIIT) and AICF aims to build chess-in-education programs promoting large-scale youth participation. “India should not only have 20 elite players,” he said, “but hundreds of thousands of young players.”
Responding to concerns that India has been awarded too many marquee events, Dvorkovich stressed that tournaments are geographically well-distributed. Future Olympiads will be held in Samarkand and Abu Dhabi, and major events are scheduled across London, New York, Singapore, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Austria and Italy. The venue of the next Candidates Tournament will be announced in a few days.
Addressing concerns about the newly introduced combined world format in partnership with Norway Chess, Dvorkovich insisted that the classical World Championship would retain its primacy.
