'Worse than dirt': Daniel Naroditsky hits back at Vladimir Kramnik over 'cheating' allegation

American chess Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky strongly criticised former world champion Vladimir Kramnik, describing him as "worse than dirt." This follows another cheating accusation during the World Rapid and Blitz Championship.
Naroditsky discussed how the accusations and online discussions impact him during online chess matches.
“It’s a reputation-ending crime to do it as a grandmaster. But to do what, you know, what Kramnik has done and what everybody who supports him have done, in my mind, morally, it makes you worse than dirt,” said Naroditsky on 'Take Take Take'.
“It’s definitely… I mean, I don’t think I’m good… You know, not good enough of a person, but thick-skinned enough to say, honestly, that that isn’t affecting me at all. I would be, you know, failing the lie detector test if I said that.”
“I’ve been nice and civil and courteous to this army of troglodyte lowlifes for way too long. I’m really sick of it. I’m not going to tolerate any of the hate any longer.”
Naroditsky revealed that the cheating accusations have strained his relationships with other top chess players. He acknowledged the difficult position this puts his colleagues in.
“I feel like it would be improper for me to say that I am owed any support by anybody. Like, you don’t have to get your feet dirty. You know, get your hands into the dirty swamp. I totally get that. Unfortunately, I think there’s a lot of two-facedness in the chess world. Sorry, I’m not too eloquent,” he said.
He believes some players offer superficial support while privately harbour suspicions. He understands the complexities surrounding online chess.
“A lot of players are on the surface very supportive. But behind the scenes, I think, are kind of either fanning the flames or hold their own suspicions. I completely understand that online chess is a new sphere,”
Kramnik has suggested that cheating occurs in blitz games, posting what he considers evidence of online deception.
This has drawn criticism from American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, who questioned Kramnik's judgment. Nakamura stated that the former world champion does not "have a brain."