A former world chess champion has been sidelined from the game's top stage. Vladimir Kramnik, who held the world title from 2000 to 2007, was on Friday barred from FIDE world championships for at least a year after the sport's governing body ruled he engaged in cyberbullying by publicly accusing dozens of top players of cheating. The federation's ethics committee said the 51-year-old Russian made "false or unjustified" allegations that caused "unjustified reputational and psychological harm" by blasting players online instead of using official complaint channels, reports the Telegraph.
Among those targeted was American blitz star Daniel Naroditsky, who died last year at 29. He had said on a livestream that the accusations left him feeling that any success would be seen as suspect. A coroner ruled his death accidental, citing cardiac arrhythmia with methamphetamine and kratom use as contributing factors. Czech grandmaster David Navara said Kramnik's accusations against him spurred suicidal thoughts.
The BBC reports FIDE said it was not weighing in on the validity of Kramnik's accusations, but rather the manner in which they were made. FIDE issued a two-year ban but explained the second year has been suspended "for a probationary period of three years, meaning the active suspension is one year provided no further breaches occur during probation". Kramnik, who denies bullying and says he is defending fair play, plans to appeal.
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