The death on Monday of New York Times columnist and educator Daniel Naroditsky, who was once hailed as a chess prodigy while becoming a Grandmaster at 18, has sparked a buzz online. There is a growing refrain that the American GM, who was 29, was under severe stress after allegations of cheating were levelled against him by former world champion Vladimir Kramnik.

Now, a prominent Indian voice has joined the chorus.

Indian GM Nihal Sarin, who was the last player Naroditsky faced on the popular online forum chess.com, squarely blames Kramnik who had repeatedly accused the American player of cheating while playing online – an allegation that Naroditsky had firmly denied.

“He (Kramnik) has kind of literally taken a life,” Nihal told The Indian Express . The 21-year-old Indian is an expert

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