Controversial Chess Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik was banned from online Chess.com competition after publically accusing one of his opponents of cheating. He responded by calling for Hikaru Nakamura to receive a suspension as well.
Kramnik placed second in the September 24 edition of Titled Tuesday, a weekly Chess.com event, and accused two of his opponents in the tournament of cheating on social media.
The online chess tournament organizer suspended the veteran chess star for one month for his public accusations a day later saying his actions violated its Community Policy, according to a screenshot of the email Kramnik himself posted.
“Given that we notified you of similar misconduct in last week’s Late Titled Tuesday (September 17, 2024), your actions today represent a second violation of our policy,” Michael Szklanny, Director of Event Operations at Chess.com, said in the email.
The former Chess world champion responded to the ban by calling for the organizer to ban Hikaru for similar offenses. He claimed he has “documented proof” that the GM and streamer also accused a player of cheating during a Titled Tuesday event “on top of many other public accusations.”
Kramnik has been rallying against Chess.com and Hikaru for a long time.
Kramnik has a history of accusing others of cheating, famously throwing accusations at Hikaru when the streamer was on a generational online winning streak.
“Since you banned me from playing on covercheating.com, which I didn’t plan to do in fact, I suppose you will do the same concerning the face of the platform, representing your values,” Kramnik said on social media.
The GM has become increasingly controversial since levying claims at Hikaru by going after Chess.com for allegedly covering up cheating, mentoring Hans Niemann, and participating in events built around anti-cheating measures.
This is also Kramnik’s second suspension by Chess.com as he was banned for impersonating another GM earlier this year.
Hikaru said on his Kick stream on September 24 that the GM “desperately needs attention,” and hasn’t responded to Kramnik’s recent statements. The streamer and GM placed second in the other Titled Tuesday tournament on September 24, losing out on first to Magnus Carlsen.