David Navara is devastated by Kramnik and his cheating allegations
Cheating in chess is wrong. But accusing an innocent person of cheating is worse. The psychological implications, potential career damage, and emotional torture are hard to describe. In a brave public act, David Navara explains in details what he went through after the baseless accusations of Kramnik.
“After reading [Kramnik’s] comments I got very depressed. I had to contact a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist soon after reading GM Kramnik’s tweet, as it put me completely out of balance.“
David Navara says, “I was shocked and angry. My sleep and concentration were affected heavily. I quickly wrote to FIDE, sending them a complaint against GM Kramnik. I believed (and still believe) that GM Kramnik’s tweet was clearly wrong, and therefore wanted to react quickly and resolutely. This was perhaps a mistake, as I should have consulted a lawyer before taking action, to learn about the legal aspects first.“
Despite writing multiple complaints to FIDE, there has been no reaction to David Navara’s letters. “Alas, apart from Professor Regan, there was a total silence on the FIDE side for more than half a year. Given that I do not have social media, I was unable to find the details of GM Kramnik’s statistic. In the initial eight days after seeing GM Kramnik’s tweet I was feeling awful. I wrote many e-mails to FIDE, bringing arguments in my defence”
Read the full and detailed blogpost of David Navara on Chess.com