&w=3840&q=100)
Explained: Former world champion Kramnik's legal threat rocks chess world, forces FIDE to intervene
Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik has sent shockwaves through the chess world by filing a lawsuit over allegations made by Czech grandmaster David Navara. As the controversy escalates, FIDE has been forced to step in. read more
A lawsuit filed by former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik has rocked the sport, divided opinions and forced the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to intervene. The 14th undisputed World Chess Champion, Kramnik, 50, has filed a civil defamation lawsuit against Czech Grandmaster David Navara, Chess.com and news outlet Chessdom in Geneva.
Kramnik filed the lawsuit after public clashes with the defendants over cheating allegations.
Why Kramnik filed lawsuit against Navara, Chess.com
The controversy began when Kramnik suggested that Navara may have cheated during online games, however, he did not present any hard proof. In response, Navara published an open letter titled Because We Care on Chess.com on May 23, 2025. In the letter, Navara accused Vladimir Kramnik of spreading toxic commentary and causing him significant psychological harm.
Russia's Kramnik has denied the allegations, calling them false and claiming they were never corrected despite multiple requests.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The day after the letter's publication, Chessdom.com published a series of articles that echoed Navara's accusations and further depicted Kramnik as hostile and provocative.
In his legal complaint, Kramnik highlights a podcast by New in Chess, alleging that some of Navara's original statements were later edited without acknowledgment. However, no public correction or clarification was issued. Kramnik claims the resulting media fallout led to threats against him and the cancellation of at least two professional commitments.
Aronian asks Kramnik to withdraw lawsuit
Meanwhile, American chess Grandmaster and former world rapid and blitz champion, Levon Aronian, recently asked Kramnik to withdraw his lawsuit as it is based on online analysis that 'doesn't make sense'.
'We are a family," Aronian wrote on X. 'We can't go on suing or threatening each other for some weird online analysis that in most cases doesn't make sense."
'Let us start from a fresh page."
Dear @VBkramnik
Forgive me for addressing you publicly, but I feel that the chess world and the new generation need to know about who you are and I want you to remember it as well.
Vlad, you have always been an inspiration to me and to the majority of people who know you, as… — Levon Aronian (@LevAronian) June 28, 2025
FIDE condemns Kramnik's legal action
The FIDE reacted to Kramnik's legal action on Sunday, announcing the formation of a task force to evaluate anti-cheating methods proposed by Kramnik. They also invited him to present his ideas for review.
However, FIDE condemned the legal action by Kramnik against Navara, who was described as 'paragon of a fair play' by the governing body in its statement, as it asked the former Russian player to withdraw the lawsuit.
'At the same time, we are gravely concerned that the way Mr. Kramnik presents his points brings a lot of harm to the chess community,' FIDE's statement read. 'Mr. Kramnik must recognize, that it is not just his opinion or questions – it is a very clear narrative, and coming from the former World Champion it could be ruinous for the careers and a very well-being of certain players.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
❗️FIDE statement on the situation involving GM Kramnik and GM Navara❗️
As the world governing body of chess, FIDE takes the issue of fair play – both OTB and online – very seriously, especially considering the current widespread popularity of online platforms and their impact… pic.twitter.com/ETJfvPCncs — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) June 29, 2025
'The current discourse has significantly affected such a respected member of the chess community as GM David Navara and has now led to a defamation lawsuit being filed by GM Kramnik against GM Navara.
'We wish to emphasize once again that throughout his chess career, GM Navara has earned an unquestionable reputation as a paragon of a fair play. The chess community is well aware that David is a person of a great sensitivity and integrity, particularly vulnerable to any implication of unfair play.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Man shot Idaho firefighters who had asked him to move his vehicle, killing 2, sheriff says
A man who set a wildfire and then fatally shot two firefighters and wounded another in northern Idaho was a 20-year-old transient who attacked the first responders after they asked him to move his vehicle, a sheriff said Monday (June 30, 2025). Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris offered new details about the Sunday ambush at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d'Alene, a popular recreation area. He said Wess Roley was living out of his vehicle, had once aspired to be a firefighter and had only a handful of minor contacts with area police. 'We have not been able to find a manifesto,' the sheriff said, adding a motive was still unknown. Mr. Norris said families of the victims are 'in shock — absolutely. They're in shock and they're still processing it.' Roley had set a fire using flint, and the firefighters who rushed to the scene instead found themselves in an unexpected shootout. They took cover behind fire trucks, but two died and a third was wounded during a barrage of gunfire over several hours. Roley later killed himself, Mr. Norris said. 'We know that he was a transient here,' the sheriff said. 'We know he lived here for the better part of 2024. But as far as when he got here, why he was here, why he chose this place — I don't know.' Two helicopters converged on the area Sunday, armed with snipers ready to take out the suspect if needed, while the FBI used his cellphone data to track him and the sheriff ordered residents to shelter in place. They eventually found Roley dead in the mountains, his firearm beside him. Roley's grandfather, Dale Roley, told KXLY-TV that his grandson was an avid hiker who worked for a tree company and was interested in forestry. Outpouring of support for the victims was swift in Coeur d'Alene, a city of 55,000 residents near the border with Washington. Hours after the ambush, people gathered along Interstate 90 holding American flags to pay their respects as the two fallen firefighters' bodies were taken to the medical examiner's office in Spokane, Washington, about 35 miles (56 kilometres) from Coeur d'Alene. Gov. Brad Little on Monday ordered U.S. and Idaho state flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor the firefighters until the day after their memorial service. 'All our public safety officers, especially our firefighters, bravely confront danger on a daily basis but we have never seen a heinous act of violence like this on our firefighters before,' he said in a statement. 'This is not Idaho. This indescribable loss is felt deeply by all those in the firefighting community and beyond.' The Idaho House Republican Leadership said in a statement: 'We are horrified by the murder of two firefighters in Coeur d'Alene, and shocked by such a vicious attack on our first responders. We are praying for them, the injured, their families and their colleagues.' Though the shelter-in-place order was lifted, the sheriff's office cautioned residents to be prepared because the fire was still burning. Firefighters were still battling the blaze Monday, a task made difficult because it was burning in steep terrain, which limited the use of heavy equipment, the Idaho Department of Lands said in a news release. It had burned about 26 acres (10.5 hectares). Fire is always a concern for the region, said Bruce Deming, whose property abuts the trail system. When he noticed smoke on the ridge Sunday afternoon, he wondered why no firefighting helicopters were responding. When a friend texted to tell him about the shooting, he realized why he wasn't seeing aircraft: 'Because they're concerned about being shot at,' he said.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Tennis-American men still searching for a way to emulate Keys and Gauff success
By Pritha Sarkar Tennis-American men still searching for a way to emulate Keys and Gauff success LONDON, - With Madison Keys and Coco Gauff raising hopes that they could complete an "American slam" of the majors this year, their male counterparts at Wimbledon can only look on enviously. Keys ended her long wait to get her hands on a Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open this year and when Gauff triumphed at the French Open earlier this month it seemed like there was no stopping the Americans - in the women's draw at least. Unfortunately for the men, Andy Roddick's U.S. Open victory in 2003 remains a painful reminder year after year of how long it has been since an American man picked up a singles trophy at one of the four majors. The singles draw at Wimbledon is populated with 45 Americans 19 in the women's and 16 in the men's which is almost double that of any other country. Some of the players in action this year at Wimbledon, such as Learner Tien and Alex Michelsen, were not even born when Roddick was the toast of Flushing Meadows. This year, the leader of the men's pack was supposed to be fifth seed Taylor Fritz, who came into the tournament riding high on confidence after winning his fourth Eastbourne title two days ago. In fact, in the Wimbledon men's field, he owns the second highest number of grasscourt titles - his haul of five only behind seven-times Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic. But on Monday he came within two points of going out in the first round before hanging tough to win the fourth set tiebreak and leave the match deadlocked at two sets all when play was suspended for the night, 45 minutes before the 11pm curfew. Fritz's day summed up the plight faced by American men. He seemed to be on the verge of becoming the highest-seeded casualty even though he never got broken and had set points in the first two sets which Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard won 7-6 7-6 before the American won the next two 6-4 7-6. Should he survive Tuesday's final set shootout, he will join 12th seed Frances Tiafoe, Tien, Jenson Brooksby and Ethan Quinn in the second round. Americans Brandon Holt, Mackenzie McDonald, and Nishesh Basavareddy all lost on the hottest opening day recorded at Wimbledon, with temperatures soaring above 32 degrees Celsius, while eight others will be in action on Tuesday. AMERICAN QUARTET While Fritz was lucky to play in a cool temperature-controlled environment thanks to the Court One roof being closed before his match started, Keys was among many players who had to toil under the blazing sun. Britain's heatwave, however, failed to throw her off stride as she led a quartet of American women into round two with a 6-7 7-5 7-5 win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Amanda Anisimova was even more impressive as she delivered the dreaded 6-0 6-0 double bagel to Yulia Putintseva. Ann Li and Ashlyn Krueger also won, while Gauff is in action on Tuesday. With American women having won 25 Grand Slam titles since Roddick lifted the U.S. Open trophy 22 years ago with Venus and Serena Williams accounting for 19 of them Keys had one message for her male counterparts - "Keep up". "I feel like the American women have been probably inspiring the men for a while. I can't really think of a time the past 20 years where U.S. women weren't doing incredibly well," she said. "Granted, we had the Williams sisters for a long time leading that charge. There were also a lot of great American women constantly in the top 20, 10, 30. "I think the men are inspired and they want to try to keep up." This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Neeraj learning ‘concept of flow', wants Tendulkar's ‘superpower' to handle challenges
Neeraj Chopra says he is "slowly understanding the concept of flow" after his celebrated coach Jan Zelezny advised him to run like an 18-year-old "without any tension" before launching his javelin. Also Read | Neeraj Chopra emerges winner at Golden Spike meet, joins coach Zelezny among title winners The 27-year-old Chopra, a double Olympic medallist, also said he would want to have cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar's "superpower" to help him handle challenges with a calm mindset. He said the best advice he has received on and off the field was from Czech legend Zelezny, who also holds the world record in javelin with a throw of 98.48m. "Whenever I throw, I stay very energetic, but he (Zelezny) tells me I need to run in a flow. It shouldn't feel tight — I should run like an 18-year-old kid without any tension. I'm slowly understanding the concept of flow," Chopra told Star Sports and JioHotstar. "I think that in any sport, flow is very important. For example, Roger Federer — he played with such grace and rhythm that it never seemed like he was putting in too much effort. I'm trying to bring that into my training." Asked which cricketer's superpower he would like to have for throwing his javelin, Chopra said, "Sachin Tendulkar. He represented our country so well for so many years and made so many records for us. The way he faced challenges from many great bowlers and still performed exceptionally." "I would want that superpower and try to do the same. It would help me handle challenges that come my way with a calm mindset,' said Chopra who is hosting NC Classic in Bengaluru on July 5, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event. The world champion Indian, who joined the 90m club headed by Zelezny at the Doha Diamond League in May, said the legendary MS Dhoni's 'Helicopter Shot' resembles a javelin throw in terms of power and technique. Asked which cricketer he thinks would be able to throw the javelin, Chopra said, "I have heard that Brett Lee was a javelin thrower. I think he could throw the javelin well, especially when he was in his peak years. "I would like to try javelin with Jasprit Bumrah too and hope he teaches me some bowling skills. While bowling and javelin are both throws, they are very different. I would like to learn from Bumrah.' Asked whether he's superstitious, Chopra said, "I try to stay calm on the day of my event. I don't think too much about it. I just focus on giving my 100%. I try to stay relaxed, eat good food, and rest well.' After throwing 90.23m at the Doha Diamond League for a second place finish on May 16, Chopra won the Paris DL title with an effort of 88.16m. He then won the Golden Spike Ostrava title with a throw of 85.29m on June 24.
