FIDE chief says he had asked Vladimir Kramnik to share proof of cheating before Daniel Naroditsky’s death, but got nothing from world champion

“Vladimir is a good friend. And we had a good relationship for many years. I always supported him. We all just feel that it (the cheating accusations) went in the wrong direction. I tried to persuade Vladimir Kramnik informally that he should be less aggressive. Not after what happened (with Daniel) but actually before the incident. A long time ago, since I felt that it’s a bit too much. I also asked him to provide the full methodology—a clear scientific foundation for the statistics—that he is using to air his hints or accusations. And we didn’t receive it from him. He promised to have a group of people who are dealing with fair play,” Dvorkovich said at a press round table with the media on the sidelines of the FIDE World Cup in Goa.

“We hope that at some point, we’ll be provided with the whole methodology to look at that. We know for sure that Daniel was affected. There is evidence that should be checked. We do not accuse anyone now. It’s in the hands of professionals to make the findings and then decide. At the moment, it’s in the hands of the investigation being carried out by the Ethics Commission. I cannot preempt the findings or cannot say that FIDE finds something negative. We heard signals, we have evidence that was provided to us. And we passed it to the people who will investigate and then discuss it. I’m not accusing anyone at this point.”

Dvorkovich said that usually the Ethics Commission takes about two to four months to conclude an investigation. He also clarified that he was not aware of where the investigation is at because that would be seen as an interference in the work of the Ethics Commission.

Dvorkovich said that while cheating in online chess events, which are usually organised by platforms like Chess.com, was not strictly in their purview yet, they were in talks with online platforms to “strengthen” collaboration.

“Collaboration with platforms is essential. They do have their own approaches. They share those partially, not fully. I understand that. Though I do believe that we need to have deeper collaboration to make sure that our approach is both understandable. We do need a common understanding of what we do if we find certain things. Right now, FIDE doesn’t sanction players who are found guilty or suspected to have a high probability of cheating online. So, we do not transfer those sanctions to over-the-board events. Since we don’t know what the approach is. We don’t know for sure if somebody is banned on, let’s say, Chess.com there is 100 per cent proof so that we can ban the same player in those in over-the-board events. For that, we need full understanding,” he added.

After Naroditsky’s death, Dvorkovich had issued a long statement on social media. But this is one of the first times he has spoken about the incident in a public forum.

“I personally, and we all at FIDE, are really sorry about the tragic death of Daniel. He was really a personality that influenced the chess world in a positive manner by being a great player, commentator, educator. So, for me, it’s really personal. But on the other side, it’s also an institutional issue. Since we all understood that he was affected by the hints—sometimes aggressive hints—related to potential cheating. And even if those were not direct accusations, Daniel felt like those were really accusations against him and some other places,” the Russian said.

Amit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. ... Read More

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