Chess Federation Suspends Former World Champion for Violating Ethics Code After He Accused Other Players of Cheating; People, July 4, 2026

Kimberlee Speakman, People ; Chess Federation Suspends Former World Champion for Violating Ethics Code After He Accused Other Players of Cheating

"Former chess world champion Vladimir Kramnik has been suspended. 

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced on Friday, July 3, that it suspended Kramnik, 51, over “multiple violations” of the federations' ethics code and disciplinary code due to previous comments he made.

Kramnik — who held the world chess champion title from 2000 to 2007 —  has been banned from participating in worldwide FIDE chess competitions or acting in official chess functions for at least one year...

“The Chamber found that his conduct breached provisions relating to the right to dignity and respectful treatment, safeguarding the dignity of individuals, bullying and cyberbullying, psychological abuse, responsibility as a role model, failure to cooperate with the Fair Play Commission’s investigation, and false or unjustified public accusations,” the FIDE said in a statement."

Former Chess Champion Faces Ethics Complaint After a Grandmaster’s Death; The New York Times, November 12, 2025

 Michael Levenson, The New York Times; Former Chess Champion Faces Ethics Complaint After a Grandmaster’s Death

"The global governing body for the game of chess said on Tuesday that it had filed an ethics complaint against a Russian grandmaster and former world champion who was accused of bullying Daniel Naroditsky, a popular American grandmaster, before Mr. Naroditsky died last month at age 29.

The organization, the International Chess Federation, filed the complaint after many in the chess world expressed anger that the former world champion, Vladimir Kramnik, had repeatedly insinuated, in videos, comments and posts, that Mr. Naroditsky had cheated when he played chess online."