Ex-world chess champ investigated for unfounded attacks on Daniel Naroditsky as grieving mom says he died tormented by them

Tragic US chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky was tormented by the unfounded cheating allegations leveled against him in the year before his death, his heartbroken mom said — as the ex-world champ who fueled them is now being investigated for possible disciplinary action.Naroditsky, whose shock death was announced Monday, had been engaged in a bitter feud with former grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik after the Russian rival started accusing him of cheating in online chess.The California-born pro — who became a grandmaster at just 18 — had strenuously denied cheating and accused Kramnik of trying to ruin his life.“There was nothing more important to Daniel than his dignity and his name as a chess player,” Naroditsky’s grieving mom, Elena Naroditsky, told the Daily Mail.“Daniel tried to defend himself so much,” she added.“The whole world was on Daniel’s side.He played more and did more and more because he was trying to prove that he’s not what he was accused of.”The grieving mom blasted the allegations as the chess world’s international governing body revealed Wednesday it was considering taking action against Kramnik, who held the world title for several years in the early 2000s, for persistently leveling the baseless claims.All of the relevant public statements Kramnik made before and after Naroditsky’s death have since been formally referred to the body’s Ethics and Disciplinary Commission for review, Arkady Dvorkovich, president of the International Chess Federation, said.He vowed that the federation would take “appropriate action” if evidence of public harassment or bullying was uncovered.The body can sanction a player who makes unfounded accusations, according to its anti-cheating laws.The probe comes as several other grandmasters ripped Kramnik’s conduct — alleging the Russian pro had been harassing Naroditsky and trying to destroy his reputation.During his final livestream on Saturday, Naroditsky — who appeared to be incohe...