Daniel Naroditsky, the American chess prodigy and Grandmaster passed away untimely at 29. He enjoyed a dedicated set of fans, who followed his chess teaching content in YouTube and Twitch. Daniel was not temporarily retired from classic chess due to his mental health issues as shared by him during a chat with C-Squared Clips in 2024. The online chess coach’s mental strains partly stemmed from the cognitive and psychological toll of the brain-testing game and partly because of fellow player, Vladimir Kramnik’s blasting accusations. Here’s the full timeline of Daniel Naroditsky vs Vladimir Kramnik feud.
Why did Vladimir Kramnik accuse Daniel Naroditsky of cheating?
The feud between Grandmasters Daniel Naroditsky and Vladimir Kramnik centered on Kramnik’s public and persistent accusations of cheating against Daniel and other elite players in online chess. The controversy was exacerbated by Kramnik’s inflammatory comments following Daniel’s death on October 19, 2025. Following Daniel Naroditsky’s rise as a popular streamer and top-ranked blitz player, Kramnik began publicly alleging that the American Grandmaster was receiving computer assistance during his online games.