Kramnik Loses Defamation Suit Against New In Chess
By Douglas C. · Wed, 02 Sep 2026
Vladimir Kramnik's defamation lawsuit against New In Chess has been dismissed. The magazine announced the ruling on September 1, saying a Dutch court rejected all of Kramnik's claims over the outlet's coverage of the harassment allegations against him.
What the court foundAccording to the ruling as described by New In Chess's lawyer, the court found that the article itself was not unlawful and dismissed Kramnik's claims in full. The court specifically addressed the article's use of the word "cyberbullying," finding it wasn't used loosely but was explained and backed up by the circumstances and statements the article presented. The ruling also treated FIDE's own disciplinary decision regarding Kramnik as relevant context supporting the article's reporting.On the broader question of criticism directed at Kramnik, the court reasoned that his own prominence and active role in public debate work against him here: as a widely followed figure who has himself provoked debate by publicly accusing others of cheating, he has to tolerate strong criticism and commentary, even unflattering commentary, in return. The court extended that same reasoning to commentary touching on his mental well-being, noting that Kramnik has publicly leveled cheating accusations and referenced what he's called a "chess mafia," and found that resulting public discussion of his mental health, as reflected in the article, falls within the bounds of legitimate debate on a matter of public interest.The costs didn't fully go New In Chess's wayThe outlet said the case cost it more than €25,000 to defend. The court declined to award full litigation costs, however, finding it implausible that Kramnik's case amounted to an abuse of process or was manifestly unfounded. Instead, Kramnik was ordered to pay the standard litigation costs of €4,449, roughly, as New In Chess put it in response to a well-wisher online, "not even 20%" of what the magazine actually spent.The backgroundThis suit traced back to New In Chess's 2025/08 issue, which ran alongside a tribute to the late GM Daniel Naroditsky and covered harassment allegations against Kramnik from Naroditsky and Czech grandmaster David Navara, among others. Kramnik filed the defamation claim in Amsterdam earlier this year. The dispute sits alongside a separate matter still working through FIDE's own process: an ethics complaint against Kramnik that the federation's Ethics and Disciplinary Commission opened following those same allegations. This court ruling resolves the defamation claim specifically, but doesn't appear to touch that FIDE proceeding, which remains its own open question.