"KRAMNIK, WHAT THE F***?" Daniel Naroditsky PODCAST

[@MustreaderChess]

Looking forward to your comments, guys! What’s your opinion on all this Danya-Kramnik controversy?

[@rubendiazguitar]

Kramnik has totally lost his mind

[@nicholasintrepidity5073]

kramnik is providing solid arguments for why someone might/should be suspicious and gives good reasons to ask his questions about danya and why it should not be ignored. danya is just playing the hikaru nakamura game 🥱

[@BrunoPinheiroTV]

@@MustreaderChess Dania is boring

[@grimlips6596]

It has been shown that, at the very least, Danya has a habit of checking unfinished games with the engine on a second/third monitor. You need a set-up for this. Both software and hardware. Most of us just click 'analysis' after game is finished, and that's clearly not what he is doing. We can also see that Danya has three types of gazes outside his board monitor: one is chat, one is absentmindedly looking anywhere, and the third one is highly suspicious. All of this, we now know for a fact.

[@danielalcala1044]

brother, this is epic, thank you for the effort

[@DanPascut]

I absolutely love this man... So rare to see such a mixture of intelligence, humor and modesty.. My absolute favorite chess personality

[@eu_dz8684]

Naroditsky is not bad as well

[@darkcitizen]

@@eu_dz8684 lol

[@chessgains8075]

100%

[@Yash42189]

same. Magnus a close second

[@freefall9832]

And now exposed, hilarious. Where are you looking, Daniel? What does the engine say. Red-handed

[@nathanbell2601]

It baffles me that anyone could accuse Danya of cheating. I think he loves chess more than anyone I know, and he has amazing character. I met him in person at a tournament in Charlotte and he was incredibly nice. I asked him to play a game of blitz, and he said maybe after the tournament was over. Sure enough, after the tournament had ended, without me reminding him, he remembered me and asked if I still wanted to play. He also gave me helpful post-game analysis. Dude’s a class act and a brilliant chess player. These ridiculous accusations need to stop, and there need to be some sort of consequences for pointing fingers and claiming people are cheating without substantive evidence. Go Danya!

[@trmm763]

I once met Lance Armstrong he was anti-doping and could cycle a bit. Got away with it for years. Nice guy and loved animals.

[@CarlDidur]

It is terrible to see, since his sincerity makes him a great target for a cynical attack like this. He will use a lot of energy rationally disputing what is essentially nonsense.

[@trallegas6589]

Huge that you got to play him,how'd the game go?,i met him once when he was in madrid for the commentary on the candidates and he was increidibly nice,he played in an blitz tournament my club set up and he did great,if i remember correctly he only lost to anish and magnus or smt like that when all of the opposition he faced were top 200 players,its baffling to me that this could be happening to him and that anyone is taking it with even a modecom of seriousness

[@nathanbell2601]

@@trallegas6589 That’s wild! I’m glad you also had a positive experience meeting him. The game was over before it started, lol. He had white and it went 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h5 7. Nf3 e6 8. Ne5 Bh7 9.Qxh5 Bb4+ 10. c3 Bd6 11. Qxf7#. I had zero blitz experience at that point and hadn’t really learned my mainline Caro-Kann at the time, so I forgot I was supposed to play 6. …h6 and not …h5. I really just wanted the opportunity to play him and see how quickly he would beat me, lol.

[@ligidobastian9245]

Wow, that’s just precious. He played a game of blitz with you after a tournament and gave you some tips, so now he’s beyond any criticism, right? It’s almost as if you think being “nice” automatically means he’s incapable of doing anything questionable. But here's the thing: liking chess or being a “class act” doesn’t exclude someone from making mistakes. If anything, the fact that you think a friendly interaction somehow exonerates him is laughable. These “ridiculous accusations” aren’t coming out of thin air-they're based on the actual actions of using an engine mid-game. But sure, let’s just ignore that because he remembered you from one encounter. As for consequences, how about we start by holding everyone accountable to the same standards, instead of waving away criticism with a little fan club speech?

[@ShortsCreatorGuy]

TO THOSE WHO SAY KRAMNIK IS “JUST ASKING QUESTIONS,” I ASK YOU THIS: In Kramnik’s reaction to Danya’s setup tour and explanation, Danya says, during his video, that he would disprove the allegations as best he could. Kramnik then responds saying the following: “One, they are not allegations, and two, you didn’t disprove them.” If they aren’t allegations, why does he complain that he didn’t disprove them? You don’t disprove a question. Kramnik is a weasel, and doesn’t deserve to be taken seriously anymore. His “questions” are really veiled accusations, but he’s too chickenshit to admit it.

[@Richard0503]

True, he's an absolute snake in the grass!

[@grzesiek7358]

10/10 I'm repeating this: Kramnik shows soviet school of telling the 'truth'.

[@dylandebrocke4848]

he spouts accusations and cowardly hides behind the false notion that they're "only questions"

[@ІлляГромов-н1ъ]

Such a retarded logic. Kramnik see wierd things, he say about it, and he actually not sure about Danya, thats all. And clowns started this :"Oooo, he said it is not aligation, but it is aligation". That isn't the matter here

[@purulento3911]

It's very obvious, he even says something like "here is where the engine starts..." of course he's accusing him.

[@danielcarroll2161]

For Kramnik it’s “Heads I win. Tails, ok, I was just asking questions, but you know I’m still suspicious.” When people like Jose or, perhaps in the future, Danya take up Kramnik’s challenge and beat him, it needs to cost Kramnik more than $50K. In addition to payment, Kramnik needs to read a script formally apologizing to his opponent for his spurious allegations and declaring that his opponent is a better blitz player than him. Maybe that would be sufficiently costly to make Kramnik think twice before defaming people.

[@Liquidreview]

Or maybe whoever lose needs to admit that he is a cheater. No matter its true or not 😂😂😂

[@ВикторФирсов-е9ф]

Cause, just bear with me for a moment, Kramnik is not FIDE, not Chesscom. He doesn’t have to be right, he is doing that only because more competent organisations are ignoring the problem.

[@ZV5470]

Jospem Loses to Kramnik

[@bembellow8027]

50k is not much for Kramnik, he is very rich.

[@AlarcoElectro]

Kramnik won Jospem and Naroditsky used engine. Facts.

[@Naveication]

Guys! Look at Danyas eye movements in this video! He constantly keeps looking to the side! Clearly an engine is feeding him what to say in this interview and looking to the side is totally not a thing some people just do when they're thinking!

[@chessgains8075]

Omg you might be onto something

[@grimlips6596]

Indeed, it is two very different things to absentmindedly look anywhere to relax and clear your mind, and to intensely look at the same place regularly, which is not chat and is not main monitor either.

[@BongelaMnguni]

I noticed that too. He is clearly looking outside ze chat. I mean ze monitor is gere, but he is looking zer 😅

[@potatoonastick2239]

Jokes aside, Danya looks to the side even more than the average gm while playing, whether classical or blitz. This is a known fact

[@Naveication]

@@potatoonastick2239 yeah, that's how averages work, some look more some look less. Danya is on the more side. You can see that it happens even more the more focused he is in complex positions. However, it's the same when he plays OTB where there is clearly no engine set up for him. Kramnik would of course never mention his OTB games, even deny their existence altogether as it doesn't fit his narrative. But there are videos and you can see the exact same behavior. The looking around is clearly a psychological tick, not an engine.

[@burner918]

No, Danya. You are NOT annoying. You're an amazing personality and a great chess teacher. I can't imagine what you must be feeling like being called things like the "Ted Bundy of Chess". You are not. This will end and Kramnik will continue to look like a fool. When the dust settles, the thing that everyone will remember, is how you respectfully and courteously challenged your accuser and how well you were able to articulate and defend yourself against these frivolous accusations. Keep you head up. You are loved a lot more than you're probably aware of. ❤

[@Richard0503]

This, 100% Well put! And we love you too @burner918

[@matthewpiper6526]

Beautifully and accurately said! My reply to the host dovetails with yours.

[@burner918]

@@matthewpiper6526 Thank you. Danya’s been showing the love for ages. Now the Internet gets to show some love back - perhaps when he needs it the most.

[@slylataupe4272]

Well, i dont like him. I don’t like his mister perfect attitude when clearly he is not. I don’t like the forced posh way of speaking he has also;)

[@Zero-ok4xg]

@@slylataupe4272 Weird to dislike someone because he is well spoken and good at going in depth on his thoughts. He acts more normal off stream when thousands of people aren't going to be hearing it.

[@bjarkenicolaisen4502]

I think I finally figured out what I dislike so much about Kramnik’s approach: he is letting on as if he wants an honest dialogue and “just wants answers to legitimate questions”, but he knows very well there is no answer that will satisfy him (besides Danyas admitting guilt). He asked about the glancing to the right, Danya explains there is a wall and nothing else, and Kramnik just laughs and demands a “proper explanation”. And about the Bc8, what explanation could possibly satisfy him? None other than saying “Lela told me so!”. So that is the malice of his approach, that he wants to make it seem like a dialogue is what he wants, but unless Danya can DOCUMENT that a rare bird sat in his window that stream he will not accept it. What kind of dialogue is that?

[@lollycopter]

"Sealioning (also sea-lioning and sea lioning) is a type of trolling or harassment that consists of pursuing people with relentless requests for evidence, often tangential or previously addressed, while maintaining a pretense of civility and sincerity ("I'm just trying to have a debate"), and feigning ignorance of the subject matter.[1][2][3][4] It may take the form of "incessant, bad-faith invitations to engage in debate",[5] and has been likened to a denial-of-service attack targeted at human beings.[6] The term originated with a 2014 strip of the webcomic Wondermark by David Malki,[7] which The Independent called "the most apt description of Twitter you'll ever see".[8]"

[@ronald3836]

At least Danya could have agreed with Kramnik that he had cheated when he used an engine while playing. He could then be honest about how often he does that "to save time". Danya simply cannot maintain that he has never cheated given that clearly he did.

[@bjarkenicolaisen4502]

@@ronald3836 he has acknowledged earlier that this was a mistanke and apologized. And maybe you may call me crazy but I don’t mind at all if GMs use engines when playing instructional games with their students, clearly not a competitive game so to me they can do what they want in that case. I don’t think you can infer from that that he is using engines in competitive games at all.

[@bjarkenicolaisen4502]

@@lollycopter a human DOS-attack haha :) but yeah this is exactly it.

[@erickr9733]

@@ronald3836 It is not cheating to use an engine the way he did. If you don't understand what cheating means do not even say a thing.. troll. by the way go look for two things: a dictionary and the original video where Daya used the engine... bozo.

[@jordandanchev1474]

Danya is one of chess community's greatest treasures. Eloquent, smart, quick thinker and very, very well spoken. It's baffling how of all people Kramnik would pick exactly him.

[@TylerWx]

Yeah, this crap is absolutely ridiculous.

[@tolkienfan1972]

It's nuts

[@sebastjansslavitis3898]

"I like you so you not cheater"

[@libertas12]

@@sebastjansslavitis3898 i dont like you so you are a cheater

[@tolkienfan1972]

@@sebastjansslavitis3898 no, we judge his character by his words and behavior. Also, no one has presented any evidence of cheating. So we should presume he is legit. It's the honorable thing to do.

[@danielsierrala]

Daniel, all my support. Kramnik has to be stopped, he is a malicious actor

[@nicholasintrepidity5073]

malicious for asking questions? well to each it’s own i guess..

[@edmund1737]

Malicious for asking questions? I don’t like how Kramnik handles certain things too but it’s crazy how everyone’s calling him crazy for asking questions. He has asked Daniel to simply explain the tournaments situation and the glances.

[@BlackLucho]

Only cheaters would say "Kramnik has to be stopped" smh

[@AdamGaffney96]

There's no way people in these comments still buy the "just asking questions" stuff surely. It's an incredibly well known tactic used in basically every bad faith debate.

[@davidjones3139]

@@nicholasintrepidity5073 Kramnik is pretending that he's just "asking questions", but he clearly accuses danya of looking at an engine to the right of his screen in a video from 2 years ago, which is pure speculation and a clear accusation

[@wiadroman]

I think Naka nailed it when he said that Kramnik doesn't fundamentally understand what these short time formats are about. Danya is a new generation of super fast players. Their game style is optimized for fast time formats where "good enough move" that takes 3secs to find is much better than "best move" that takes 3mins to find.

[@TurboPaskal]

It was always like this with blitz.

[@Julez108]

Kramnik's peak OTB Blitz rating is 2841. You don't get to that kind of level without understanding what "short time formats are about". He's simply fallen off and is salty about it, taking it out on others with pathetic accusations.

[@ronald3836]

As if Kramnik does not understand how 3 0 works....

[@immysteryman1]

You mean .3 seconds ?

[@ScorpionG4merBr]

@@ronald3836 He doesn't, not the way it's played today. Most of his blitz was with increment, playing blitz OTB wasn't very common because you have to physically move the pieces.

[@arthurritchie5891]

That intro is a piece of art well done! I was completely hooked from the beginning

[@jackglass9226]

Daniel seems a lovely guy and I love his content and commentary. Massive support for him ❤

[@jepulis6674]

The bast part of this is that for once you can say without a hint of sarcasm that it could not have happened to a nicer guy.

[@wooshbait36]

I agree. Danya occasionally cheats, but Kramnik should cut him some slack since, from what I understand, he is not cheating in major tournaments. He is still young, and everyone makes mistakes.

[@YDAE4]

@@wooshbait36 I really hope you’re joking…

[@wooshbait36]

@@YDAE4 What's there to joke about? Please don't jump on Danya's hate wagon that quickly; we all make mistakes.

[@ItIsYouAreNotYour]

Nice guys finish last.

[@BearlyPresent]

@@wooshbait36 ah good bait

[@facesbookses2044]

Daniel, I've been watching chess for years, mostly following Magnus since I'm Norwegian. I never really understood much about the game and couldn't express my own thoughts while watching. I was just following along with the broadcast, hearing but not understanding. After watching your videos, speedrun series, taking notes, and playing a bit, I feel like I get so much more out of watching chess in general. I can now watch it like a soccer match-it's so much more fun and interesting. The thrill of engaging mentally with the game, analyzing, learning, and understanding is awesome. I can follow the commentators, and I enjoy chess so much more now, all because of what you've taught me through your videos. I feel really bad about what Kramnik is trying to do to your reputation. He seems like a very nasty person. I want you to know how grateful I am, and I'm sure many more people are too. I personally think you are a godsend for lower-rated players like me.

[@Blinknone]

"He seems like a very nasty person." That's because he is.

[@Yash42189]

Great that Danya pointed out how Kramnik is acting like the grand inquisitor of cheating.. like dude, there should be a fide committee for this. No one should come and beg kramnik to change his mind just because he is the world champ

[@pintergyula12]

No, he is not the world champ. He was, so many years ago. No one knows currently if he could make it to candidates now. Who knows what level he is currently and how could he fare against Naka, Danya, or others in serious competitions.

[@gilgamesh8334]

@@pintergyula12he couldn’t.

[@empyrealcultist1992]

Unfortunately chess world champion is a lifelong title so he is indeed chess world champion ​@@pintergyula12

[@warrygold]

I love the fact that Daniel has the character to stand up for himself and not go along with whatever proposals Kramnik comes up with. Josep went along with it and what happened? He just moved on to the next guy. This is just ridiculous!

[@robwiedemann2104]

All the support Daniel, long time viewer, love your content, and totally support you.

[@ItsAsparageese]

This video is the first time I've encountered your podcast, and I love it! I really dig your overall style and how much you let Danya speak (especially how you took the discussion in other constructive directions instead of dedicating it to just the drama), and I particularly love how well-edited this is. Subbing for sure, and can't wait to check out more of your work!

[@MustreaderChess]

@@ItsAsparageese thanks! Enjoy!

[@darkesinger]

I hadn't tripped over this channel until the algorithm tossed it on my dash this morning, either. Great podcast, subbing as well ❤

[@HariShankar-bw2bt]

You'll make it through, Danya! It's always, always, a pleasure to listen to you speak! Appreciate all your work, Greg. It's amazing how you manage to get all these top players on your podcast and set up an engaging conversation, and I hope you'll keep growing!

[@CosmicLion777]

Kramnik diluting a noble cause.

[@caballitodetotora7087]

Danya is not only amazing at chess but also one of the most professional and mature individuals in the entire chess community. After Kramnik's outrageous allegations, his lies and manipulative match offer with 50k stakes, how can Danya just says at 28:05, "I will never cuss him out; that's not my style... I don't think he is deserving of that." With that you have earned my full respect, sir. Some people could learn from the way you handle things. You have my full support, as do many others :)

[@chessgains8075]

He really is a role model. Not just in chess.

[@matthewpiper6526]

Danya's profound moral character is even more remarkable than his epic chess genius.

[@berndwind]

This is wonderful stuff. Great interviewer, and erudite, honest, passionate Danya. Rather than going deep into the quagmire of Kramnik and his constant slander, I’ll just leave it there. Yes to part 3!

[@theoneandonlykk86]

I don't understand why FIDE is not doing anything against Kramnik and the growing number of other players who accuse others without proof. It's called slander, which is a criminal offense. I think FIDE should ban all players who make unsubstantiated accusations, that would surely put an end to this paranoid witch hunt.

[@TomLiberman]

Yeah. "If you don't play me for $50K then I'm going to expose you as a cheater" crosses into extortion to me. It is criminal.

[@LozHCooper]

I asked this question of someone in FIDE and was told that in order for the Ethics & Disciplinary Commission to investigate the person being accused has to make an official complaint.

[@sherryw1919]

It's def defamation; slander & libel. I hope he at least pursues a cease & desist order. He needs to be shut down until (if ever) he has legit evidence. His effed up personal issues have been tainting the world of chess for a while now. I don't think he'll stop till someone forces him to legally.

[@bustersbrain]

Kramnik may have a guilty conscience. If he did at least come close to cheating in 2006 at toiletgate, he may need to believe that cheating is literally everywhere to lessen his guilt. His crusade has become so unbalanced that I am starting to suspect him.

[@jasonsmith4114]

It could be that, or it could be a delusional champion having a tough time dealing with the fact that he's not the best anymore.

[@andreitiberiovicgazdovici]

Unfounded accusations of cheating in chess really hurt, that's the problem: Kramnik didn't cheat in 2006, it was all an absurd theory from Topalov's team (not the player himself)... so Kramnik should know better than anyone. .. in my personal opinion, he simply doesn't accept the passing years, he hasn't been world champion for almost 20 years, and he certainly can no longer keep up with the top 15/20 in the world in blitz... my maximum support goes to to Danya, he shouldn't even waste time with these absurd accusations, and instead he does, because he is a sincere person, and again, for those who don't cheat in chess it particularly hurts to be falsely accused...

[@Dmckenzie6]

​@@andreitiberiovicgazdovici He probably did it because imagine you're a kid with a russian background and at the time you're growing up Kramnik is one of the top guys in the scene. It's probably like I'm going to respond because I respected this guy on a personal level and this really just sucks having this dude I potentially looked up to (or at least respected his game) just completely unravelling and attacking me.

[@bustersbrain]

@@andreitiberiovicgazdovici Maybe those accusations against Kramnik in toiletgate damaged him emotionally. I wonder if he realizes that after a certain point, his crusade calls even more attention to his scandal and in my mind at least triggers doubt. One thing is for sure, his non accusations toward everyone are hurting chess more than they are helping.

[@andreitiberiovicgazdovici]

@@Dmckenzie6 but in fact Danya has already expressed himself about it, he showed some photos of his childhood, where with his mother they were in Moscow for a match between Kramnik and Leko (finalist of the world title against Kramnik in 2004) after the match, both of them did the photo with a young Danya, and Daniel in fact said that for him the experience as a boy was exceptional, and precisely for this reason Kramnik's accusations against him are particularly painful

[@stepheninderlied5091]

Love naroditsky! By far one of my favorite GM's to watch speedruns and best commentary. I play jabava solely because of naroditsky

[@davidd9478]

Poor Danya. This situation with allegations must be super frustrating for him. Once someone as influential as Kramnik accuses you of cheating there will always be people believing that he might have a point even though it's a complete nonsense. If I was in Danya's shoes I would probably file a lawsuit against him because such behaviour is really unacceptable.

[@ronald3836]

The thing is he did use an engine while playing but then refuses to acknowledge the seriousness of this violation. "Just trying to save some time", "I did not need it to win", etc.

[@davidd9478]

@@ronald3836 When did he say that?

[@killerdec21]

@@davidd9478 he didn't

[@bbusyt]

@@ronald3836 he already put up a statement under the regarding video? I believe playing IN A PRIZE MONEY EVENT UNDER ANOTHER USERNAME is a much greater degree of cheating than starting an engine up a queen on a speedrun account where people do not even lose rating against the account. Sure it was not the correct thing to do - and Danya acknowledged that and is sorry for letting that happen but Kramnik is not in the position to judge

[@ronald3836]

@@bbusyt a little bit of cheating is cheating. Someone who cheats a little bit is a cheater. Online chess has a major cheating problem. Players are not allowed to draw the lines themselves. The rules are clear and should not be crossed. Like with doping in sports: any violation, however small, is a ban.

[@waschkarte3989]

A superstrong, quick grandmaster and streamer 2 years ago talks about a move that is great, and the "why" isn't that hard to find. I mean Bc8 (h6 Bf4 Bxc3 and then g5 almost traps the piece, but there's Be5, so covering it with a retreat is a logical way). Kramnik: 'Sis is proof he is cheating. Kramnik-fans under Danyas videos: CHEATER! So annoying. Danya, thanks for all the content and letting us participate in your games and thoughts. One of my absolute favorite chess content creaters, because I learn so much. Keep it going!

[@FactsandOpinions567]

Would love to see part 3 from Danya - there is so much to learn from his chess. I bet he is an incredible coach.

[@michaclaessen1265]

10:00 Kramnik peeping around the corner is just Brilliant!

[@kramnikstudentc24]

😂

[@joejoe-ds8xr]

Danya simply is the only person who can give an inside honest look into the inner workings into chess, this man has made me passionate about chess..its ridiculous how much of a true fan he is of the sport..his first GM pic as a child is with Kramnik himself!! This is a pure personality and genuine person

[@CGoody564]

Kramnik has lost the plot entirely. The fact is that the younger generation has advanced (which happens in every single sport) and he has either taken it personally, or can't come to terms with that and is coping the only way he knows how; accusing better players of cheating. It's sad to see such a respected icon fall to these depths.

[@Diffusion8]

Danya, you are not annoying! You are not annoying at all, you are a gift to the chess community and you could not possibly be more fair and measured in your reaction to Kramnik's toxicity! Thank you for ignoring the match offer... "Don't feed the troll!" Respect to you!

[@immysteryman1]

Kramnik is just a troll. I’m a lawyer in St. Louis and been practicing over 30 years. Kramnik’s so-called evidence that raises “questions” is inadmissible speculation at best. For example, Kramnik asks why Danya looks around. It is a well known fact that most people look up and to one side when accessing their memories. Regardless, in a court of law, you don’t get to speculate about what people are thinking. Flipping the script, I could claim Kramnik attacked Danya because he’s the Opie Taylor of chess and knew it would generate clicks and thus $$ in his pocket. Again, inadmissible speculation. Kramnik, please kick rocks, pound sand and leave Danya alone….

[@freefall9832]

Daniel referred to "what the engine says" during one of his games. Red handed

[@Da_Toast2]

@@freefall9832 I’m sorry but are you stupid? You don’t think he looked at a line like a week ago or something and then when he was commentating he just meant that ‘when I was looking at that line a week ago the engine said this is the best move’. So please try to rationalize before accusing people for no reason

[@eyalkarni3290]

What a stupid reply to comment

[@cloudstrife7566]

@@freefall9832😂😂😂

[@Da_Toast2]

@@freefall9832I hope you’re joking

[@ohithere-shogi]

Just found your podcast and have listened to a couple already. Great stuff, love the conversational style and I look forward to binging most of the others. Thanks!

[@anday7421]

Oh no, Danya, be angry and be passionate! You are well within your right! Someome needs to stand up to Kramnik going around accusing everyone while he is too cowardly to stand behind it and be accountable. Thank you for presenting your side and best of luck! Truth will prevail!

[@wooshbait36]

I totally agree. Danya occasionally cheats, but Kramnik should cut him some slack since, from what I understand, he is not cheating in major tournaments. He is still young, and everyone makes mistakes.

[@Jeff-dr3eu]

Daniel is one of the nicest guys in chess - a great role model and a good sense of humour! Seeing the photo of him and Kramnik was really sad, never meet your heroes. Sad to see him put through the Kramnik witch trials, the man needs to be stopped. Great conversation and definitely need a number 3!

[@rewangdichen732]

Danya you have all the right to be angry. Sad other top players are not talking about it and great podcast again Gregg

[@OwainTD]

Great interview! Appreciate that you show context on the screen on what’s being said

[@BrunoPinheiroTV]

During his 2006 World Championship match against Veselin Topalov. Topalov and his team accused Kramnik of getting computer assistance during games in the bathroom, claiming that he took too many toilet breaks. Though there was no conclusive evidence of cheating, organisers shut down players’ private bathrooms, forcing both players to use the same bathroom. The scandal was dubbed ‘toiletgate’ and is still one of the most bitter, and infamous, episodes in chess.

[@kramnikstudentc24]

I think Game 2 Topalov missed a Mate in 3. No way Kramnik cheated and allowed a mate

[@BrunoPinheiroTV]

@@kramnikstudentc24 he was accused, just like he is doing now.

[@grimlips6596]

Fair point, but remember, engines were not quite at world champion level back then. Deep Blue was not even programmed to play flaw-less chess. It was programmed to beat Kasparov specifically.

[@biz6361]

@@grimlips6596a 2006 machine was stronger than Magnus at his peak. it definitely wouldn’t have missed a mate in 3. to put everything into context, Kramnik was world champion in 2006 and still lost to a computer (Fritz) 4-2. Kramnik got the most favorable terms for this match as well, since he was world champion. Kramnik didn’t even play the strongest computer and still lost. Hydra would’ve probably been the top chess “engine” at the time, ran on a supercomputer, with an estimated elo of ~3000.

[@kimborampage]

@@grimlips65962006? Engines were vastly superior to any player. Not even close.

[@crushet92]

Shout out to Danya for all the education content he creates! All the best in future, always great to see him here.

[@keredchang]

Danya went to Stanford with a history degree. Kramnik went to a chess-focused specialty school. The staggering difference in their critical thinking and logic as a whole, not just within a chess vacuum, is palpable.

[@ianrust3785]

I suspect Kramnik is autistic, at least partially so. He's apparently unable to discern very obvious things any neurotypical person can discern.

[@ligidobastian9245]

Oh, that’s rich. So now we’re using their education backgrounds as some kind of measure of integrity and logic? Newsflash: a history degree from Stanford doesn’t make you immune to criticism or automatically more logical than someone who went to a chess school. It’s almost like you think a fancy degree somehow makes Naroditsky’s actions unimpeachable. And sure, let’s pretend that because Kramnik went to a school focused on chess, he can’t possibly understand “critical thinking” or “logic.” As if being a former World Chess Champion didn’t require just a bit of both. It’s hilarious how quickly people pull out the credentials card when they don’t have a real defense. But keep reaching-it’s almost as entertaining as the mental gymnastics you’re doing to defend Danya.

[@ianrust3785]

@@ligidobastian9245 People aren't basing their argument that Danya isn't a cheat on the fact Kramnik lacks an education - they're merely noticing both Kramnik and his few viewers are dunces, and they're looking for an explanation. The fact Danya didn't cheat in any meaningful way is self-evident.

[@purulento3911]

@@ligidobastian9245 Yeah it's not like Kramnik can't understand logic, he's just being dishonest. It's as simple as that.

[@8964TS]

@@ligidobastian9245 It's somewhat relevant. People give chess grandmasters too much respect, assuming that because they're great at chess that they are geniuses. Many are, but many are also only good at chess and not much else. Plenty have terrible social skills because they spent their childhoods and adolescence studying chess instead of hanging out and building interpersonal relations. Plenty know nothing else but chess because it's the only thing they've ever studied. I bet many or even most chess players couldn't write a decent persuasive essay the way a Stanford history major could. It's a whole different skill utilizing a kind of logic and verbal reasoning that chess doesn't develop. The type of critical thinking that you learn by studying history as an academic subject is very different to the critical thinking you learn by playing chess. For one, it's a logic that you put into words. A lot of chess thinking is visual, not verbal.

[@DrChess8]

Looking forward to part 3!

[@MaxStainton-p3q]

Good timing i just rewatched the last podcast you did with danya yesterday haha!

[@dromadrosis]

the sweetest coach in the world. His dedication, his passion and his patience is enormous! Great, great interview... Thank you so much...

[@mikemartin5340]

It’s truly infuriating what Kramnik is doing. I feel for Danya, I can sense how much this has affected him. What a shame. And the most offensive part of it all is his claim that he’s not accusing his ‘suspects’ of cheating. Truly blood boiling.

[@JerkyJones100]

Amazing interview. Loved every second of it. Daniels take near the end on learning openings was awesome. I'm a much bigger fan of Daniel after watching this interview.

[@ashrobinson4604]

I don’t understand why people continue to respect Kramnik and treat him with kid gloves. If Kramnik was a nobel laureate scientist, proposing such unsubstantiated information, he would be laughed out of town. Perhaps, respect the chess player that he used to be, but call out the man he has become! In any other sphere or sport, Kramnik would be severely sanctioned!

[@TheJapie]

I think it highlights the paranoia in high level chess. Also it displays the fragile elo ego these GMs have, getting beaten by lower elo, even by someone like Danya, is impossible in their mind.

[@ashrobinson4604]

@@TheJapie All true, but not a justification for Kramnik’s behaviour!

[@TheJapie]

@@ashrobinson4604 agreed

[@dopaopda9088]

There's a few things here, I don't feel like kramnik is "respected" now, who are you referring to when saying that? Peoples are just trolling him and his channel as very low views for how much he posts and being an ex world champ About other sports, how would they sanction a retired player? There's quite a few example of ex players going on PHD hunt after retiring and they are usually pretty well received To me it's very different to call out what kramnik is doing and making it a "sport thing", it's normal that peoples listen to him and that he is allowed to talk, luckily for chess players we aren't living in a world where the public sees computer help being as prolivalent as PHD in sport so we mainly trust the one being accused Let's keep it that way and not blame the community 🙏

[@ashrobinson4604]

@@dopaopda9088 With regard to respect: look at Naroditsky’s response. It is true that Kramnik is losing respect but not to the degree his behaviour deserves. It is false to say Kramnik is retired: he still plays (perhaps not FIDE events, I am not sure) and also, he acts as a coach for others playing in FIDE events with rating being impacted. He should be sanctioned/banned for nringing the game into disrepute.

[@Hossein_ghanaei]

Amazing conversation Please do a round 3

[@jackbar28]

That has to be crushing, when somebody you idolize comes out and says you're cheating and aren't as good as you are.

[@ACStuart]

Watching Danya rage is surreal. We should all aspire for such emotional growth.

[@Liquidreview]

Be like Hikaru, milk him as content 😂😂😂 Danya huge support for you!!! We have a saying here: Anjing menggonggong khafilah berlalu ❤

[@RajAgarwal-pg7kn]

Can I just say, the edit at 3:28 is awesome. I doubt many people would notice it. I doubt it was very tough to do either. But just the fact that you leave no stone unturned in trying to make this more exciting than it already is, is commendable.❤ Kudos🎉

[@jameslazer819]

How to fight tilt. Log out and play anonymously. The level is surprisingly high, especially on lichess. You can play and lose and it doesn't matter

[@wooshbait36]

Danya occasionally cheats, but Kramnik should cut him some slack since, from what I understand, he is not cheating in major tournaments. He is still young, and everyone makes mistakes.

[@RichACBlues]

@@wooshbait36 He is a streamer influencing thousands of kids to maniuplate ratings man. its absurd and I've been complaining about it for years. Its also unprecedented in the history of gaming for a site to officially sanction such a thing.

[@RichACBlues]

@Gfm1rFI9J41PfpfA he is setting the example.The streamers and chess professionals should be setting. There is never an excuse for cheating even if it is calld education. Even if a corrupt website allows it. And this goes way beyond chess my friend.

[@ivo28182]

Now THIS is having your finger on the pulse of chess discourse, kudos, Greg!

[@kashem425]

49:33 thank you for sharing this. I thought I addressed this problem myself with video games, but it has resurfaced when I play exceptionally poor chess. I’m at the point where I can recognize it soon enough, I can walk away to regain my center.

[@ItsAsparageese]

Yeah the whole segment about tilt is really insightful. I sent it to a friend who isn't even into chess but who's on a similar emotional self-awareness journey, because anyone can learn a lot from Danya's experience shared here. We really should popularize the concept of "tilt" outside the context of games. I'm a huge psych nerd, and didn't know that term until I got into chess a couple of years ago. It's very useful.

[@TalkingToFounders]

Great interview

[@AG-ld6rv]

17:11 is a very important note: Not to descend into mindless, emotional action as a... mob. This phenomenon is literally how mobs form in all sorts of situations. Justice mobs, mobs after sports events, those videos of mobs looting a store, and many other examples. It is a known thing for the human mind to think this way in the right conditions, but it is always bad to think that way. That's because there is no thinking during these actions. Reason is what separates humans from the animals. Always be thinking.

[@mikechurch6313]

Love your interviews, Greg, this one being no exception. Danya is simply wonderful.

[@movdqa]

What's incredibly sad is when successful people are no longer successful or not as successful anymore and they do things to try to reclaim attention, whether good or bad. Some people feel that good or bad attention is better than no attention and people have limited avenues to get back the attention and adoration that they used to have. It can be an income issue as well. I'm sure that we've all heard stories of people that once were wealthy to have lost it all or descended into madness. I watched you playing Hikaru well before the pandemic started and he had so many nice comments about you on his stream. And that's good enough for me. One of the negative things about the way social media rewards people is that it results in a lot of people who never admit making a mistake. What I'd prefer to see is more chessplayers publicly supporting you; but I assume that they are afraid to get attacked by Kramnik as well. Hikaru monetizes Kramnik's accusations and I hope that you figure out a way to do the same thing. I'm glad that you are doing well financially. Challenge him to 30 second.

[@jscorpion1466]

Nice podcast, I loved Danya's comments on tilt!

[@TJHeezy]

I'm finding the part about reading books by masters of the very distant past very fascinating.

[@camerontaylor9125]

Great pod Greg like always

[@Lygjugujkh9876]

Daniel, I know you’re reading this, and my advice for you is to stop reading every comment. Just continue playing chess and ignore the haters :)

[@blackshirtsquad7883]

Kramnik doesnt have to be stopped. No one even listens to him.

[@thewakakeboarder]

Danya you have proved yourself... Kramnick doesn't deserve any more time in your head. He's a toxic dishonest actor who has found a way to become relevant again.

[@TheMg49]

Good vid. Thumbs up. Daniel Naroditsky is one of my favorite players and teachers.

[@charliekowittmusic]

Let’s just call this what it is: Hans, and now his best pal Kramnik, have a loyal following of online trolls. The same people who attack neurodivergent KZbinrs, overweight instagrammers, and Muslim Twitter users by the thousands. Every ounce of stress Danya expends over this is a victory for these people. They’re even here, in this very comment section.

[@upStomp]

The general cheating controversy is ultimately just a reflection of online society. The lack of transparency and due process results in over-acceptance of allegations, the makers of which benefit by increasing or maintaining their relevance and influence.

[@judsongordy8872]

When Daniel doesn’t have the words in the English language to describe something, you know it’s bad.

[@tommeyer3871]

At the beginning of the Kramnik-Naroditsky controversy I thought nobody is gonna take this seriously. If you know Danya's contents you quickly realize how Kramnik is tampering with the evidence to only present those things that serve his narrative. But after a while I realized that if you do not already know the story behind many Naroditsky videos which Kramnik is showing his audience, where he pauses exactly before the context is revealed, you will actually believe him. And it's super sad to see how much the hate from these people and even from Kramnik himself seems to affect Danya. It's honestly aggravating to see how someone as intelligent as Kramnik can knowingly and maliciously (because he's too smart to not have edited the facts in this manner intentionally) attack a colleague and (former?) fan in this manner.

[@jacobblair6941]

Daniel is my favorite Chess youtuber, glad you got him on!

[@hashcr2]

amazing! greetings from Costa Rica to both !

[@NoobMaster_9t6]

Great podcast and also very detailed editing, great work.

[@figo88figo]

GMs should group together and jointly sign a petition with an official complaint against Kramnik , and send it to the various chess authorities, where Kramnik must cease and desist, else be banned from all organizations and platforms.

[@itnefer4787]

This. The only way to move forward is to a) ostracize him from the chess community, because he's both toxic and paranoid, and/or b) sue Kramnik for slander, which is not going to happen since he's a russkie in Geneva.

[@SpanishCandle]

Daniel hits the nail on the head at 35:00. You can't pretend you're not accusing someone of cheating and ask them to jump through hoops for you, like you've been appointed by God himself to be the adjudicator on these matters. Get over yourself Kramnik. First admit that you're accusing people of cheating and then maybe we'll play your mind games, where at least you also have something to lose.

[@Ebobster]

Good interview. Enjoyable and informative podcast. Bravo. O & who reads books anymore? I do but I’m old (64). Why? Because in opening prep books allow me to pinpoint to the lines, positions or patterns I’m interested in mainly the most challenging or difficult make or break lines where playing a 2nd best move won’t do. The problem is finding good books with computer tested analysis, where the author explains the positional or tactical highlights in words & succinct analysis. The other problem is finding books geared towards players who are rated over 2000. Fortunately, I’ve never read many of the classics like Zurich 1953 etc so that’s what I intend to do as soon as I have my openings down. Would love to know what books DN believes are classics worth reading. Please interview DN again soon. Cheers!

[@AaronMuturi]

I have to say that Danya is a better man than me, he treated Kramnik with so much respect even though he is accusing him in bad faith, I don't have the strength to do that

[@ItsAsparageese]

Yeah same, I'd have been a lot more confrontational about it. And I'd 100% support Danya if he'd shown much more anger and contempt. But he's doing an amazing job of rising above it and not letting others drag him down to their level of attitude, and I bet he's preserving a lot more inner peace as a result. I admire and envy his emotional self-discipline.

[@andrebenoit404]

This was very easy to listen to thanks!

[@chesscomsupport8689]

Kramnik needs to stop going after the likes of Danya and Hikaru, and focus on the actual cheaters, who generally keep a much lower profile. For instance, I've noticed an individual by the name of Rebecca Harris winning many tournaments online, even though no one in the otb chess community has heard of her. This is someone Kramnik should be looking into.

[@bartekmedes8281]

These players need to come together and sue him for defamation, this is crazy.

[@Chronicles-t9t]

your intro sound is really peaceful

[@MustreaderChess]

Yeah, loving it as well!

[@yafi2475]

1:59 he is definitely looking at the engine.

[@liljackypaper]

Kramnik needs to be canceled and people need to stop giving him a platform. I also think it's ridiculous that he gets to be a coach of national teams with this behavior.

[@Fanouriou]

I came from Hikarus review thank you for your interviews. I feel sorry for Daniel Naroditsky. It is so sad that Kramnik at best has become messy and make harmfull and unneccecary accusations, at worst has become afraid the world is out to get him and is lashing out. I love chess and I played my most early nienties till year 2000 remembering an interesting Kramnik. But even though i do not play as much any more, I love chess now even better. Computers and online chess has made it a different game and rises of amazing players and complicated chess minds like Buddy Pranav, Volodar Murzin or Christian Gloeckler. We must let FIDE do their diligence in investigating about Kirill Shevchenko, and hope he has not thrown away his life.

[@Yash42189]

throughout the interview Danya's eyes go in very different directions. Definitely not where the monitor is. Super suspicious

[@htt2566]

Thank you Daniel for all your teaching. It has really helped me to understand chess a bit better and I also appreciate your personable approach. You are clearly a highly skilled GM.

[@Me-uv6kc]

he's looking around too much during this interview, he's using an engine

[@Micleprechuan]

Clear there is a teleprompter

[@christianolsson2898]

This was really good. As a gamer for 28 years now, don't feed the trolls or cheat accusations; it's just a huge waste of time that yields nothing. People trolling/griefing/accusing are simply bored with the game and is now circling the game from the sides just as a heckler would. They're done. Danya is gold!

[@Beelzejoy]

This must be so frustrating for Danya. I wish him all the best.

[@alexmcdonough6804]

I love these podcasts, keep up the great work.

[@serghonest9]

I will never understand the respect Chess players give to Kramnik. What a disgusting person...

[@musasiddiqui5629]

Excellent podcast, thank you Greg

[@IQvillager]

Great podcast

[@MustreaderChess]

You must have speedrun it xD

[@jinjatube]

The integrity of Danya in the face of the Dunning Kramnik effect is admirable. To anyone who suspects or even believes he cheats, try to remember that suspicion or belief is not proof. Danya does not deserve this attack, and I wish him all the best in his efforts to deal with the hate this accusation has and will encourage. The accusers and the opportunist trolls they feed should, in my opinion, be ashamed of themselves.

[@ItsAsparageese]

"Dunning Kramnik" is well played

[@hex3845]

The cadance with which he gives live analysis regardles of whether its while facing a scrub in a speedrun game or casting an elite level game between GMs alone should absolve Danya of this nonsense. What a wretched being Kramnik has become.

[@ItsAsparageese]

Yeah I never thought of this argument before another commenter here pointed it out, but like ... the community adores him as a commentator specifically (in part) because he's godlike at high-speed creative tactical line-finding. So the "evidence" basically boils down to "he must be cheating because he thinks like Danya" lol

[@Иринакайнова-э2г]

Great podcast! Great job!❤

[@punmije]

who is sponsoring this guy? He gained so much popularity out of nowhere in less then 1 year..

[@kamilczarnogorski7538]

Maybe because he is 2nd best player after MC in 21st century? Fact that you didnt know who he was 1 year ago shows you are interested in drama not in chess.

[@МаксимБузуй]

@@kamilczarnogorski7538 🤣 yeah, maybe 🤐

[@punmije]

@@kamilczarnogorski7538 sir I’m not talking about Naroditsky but the host.

[@MustreaderChess]

@@punmijeMy sponsor is my endless love for chess xD

[@christinemurray1444]

The guests literally speak for themselves. That's what makes his show big.

[@Autism101]

I used to think Topalov was wrong to claim Kramnik was cheating during their world chess championship match. I'm not accusing anyone of anything, but it's "interesting" to see Kramnik accusing others now.

[@coze7669]

PART 3 PLEASEEE

[@johncombo]

Dude the biggest blunder here was giving Kramnik so much credibility by engaging in any conversation with him after his 50 previous false accusations. Its very clear he has some mental issues and after this one is over, there will be 50 another ones so everyone should treat it that way!