Cheating accusation against Daniel Naroditsky explored as friend says the young Chess Grandmaster was greatly affected by them before his death at 29

Following chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky’s death, one of his friends opened up about the mental health issues he faced. For the uninitiated, on October 19, Naroditsky was found unconscious at his place. Later, he was declared dead.

Meanwhile, in a report by The Washington Post on November 4, his friend, Peter Giannatos, shared his thoughts about the cheating accusations that Naroditsky faced from another world champion in the past. Giannatos said that those allegations took a toll on him.

According to the outlet, Russian chess master Vladimir Kramnik had previously raised concerns over Naroditsky and other renowned players. Reflecting on that, Peter Giannatos said:

“It’s hard to equate what somebody says to somebody dying. What I can tell you is that Kramnik’s accusations caused Daniel immense emotional pain, for a prolonged period of time, that he could not easily get over.”

Despite everything he reportedly said about Daniel Naroditsky, Vladimir Kramnik also posted a tribute to him, writing:

“I would like to express my deepest condolences to all of Daniel Naroditsky’s loved ones in connection with the tragic and untimely passing of this remarkable chess player and person.”

However, he also mentioned:

“The subsequent attempts, immediately following his passing, to directly link this tragic event to my name … cross all boundaries of basic human morality, in my view.”

Despite his claims, Kramnik had allegedly clarified that he did not raise cheating allegations against Naroditsky but was only suspicious. He suspected that players like Naroditsky sought help from chess engines to figure out their moves during the game.

Peter Giannatos remembered how Daniel Naroditsky treated everyone

Peter Giannatos also remembered the late chess player as someone who, unlike others, treated everyone not by their skill in the game. He said:

“A lot of chess elites judge you by your skill level. If you’re not one of their peers, they don’t even acknowledge you if you’re not writing them a check or something. But Daniel wasn’t like that. He treated everyone with respect and as a human being.”

Danny Rensch, an official of chess.com spoke highly of Daniel Naroditsky, saying:

“He took the most pride not in playing brilliant chess moves but in helping the game be understood by the masses. You’ve probably seen more comments online from people who say things like, ‘I never knew Danya, but I feel like I lost a friend.”

He also addressed the cheating allegations, saying that they could be harmful to a person. Rensch said such comments can affect the reputation of a player as the game involves money. Daniel Naroditsky had addressed the cheating accusations during his streams.

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He once appeared disheartened when he said that if he knew that influential figures in the game would make such claims against him, it would mean nothing but complete failure. He also said that it would affect his reason to wake up every day and keep going.

According to People Magazine, in his last video, Daniel Naroditsky told his viewers that he was back and was doing fine. He also addressed the irregularity in putting videos on the platforms, saying that he took a “creative break.”

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