"He's going in the wrong direction" - Fabiano Caruana criticizes Vladimir Kramnik's recent outbursts against GMHikaru, Chess.com and more

Chess Grandmaster and second-ranked player in the world, Fabiano Caruana, recently appeared on the emerging Chess podcast Chess with Mustreader on YouTube to share his insights on the ongoing saga concerning Vladimir Kramnik and Chess.com. For context, Kramnik has been on a verbal rampage, leveling accusations against Chess.com for allegedly hosting cheaters on the platform.

Kramnik has even targeted GM and Twitch streamer Hikaru "GMHikaru," which has led to his subsequent ban on Chess.com (his blog was locked). Speaking of the situation, Caruana said:

"He's (Vladimir Kramnik) going in the wrong direction."

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Fabiano Caruana weighs in on the Vladimir Kramnik-Chess.com fiasco

(Timestamp: 44:36)

Numerous leading Grandmasters have already commented on the ongoing controversy surrounding Vladimir Kramnik and Chess.com. The latest to express their perspective on the drama is Fabiano Caruana.

While the Grandmaster acknowledged that Kramnik's intentions were correct, he also noted that his actions were inappropriate. Caruana said:

"When it comes to what Kramnik says, I think he is right on many things and he's also right in spirit. His concern is valid. I don't think he's right about everything and at the current moment, he's going in the wrong direction because there are more serious examples and more clear examples on what he's going for."

Speaking of Kramnik's accusations against GMHikaru, Caruana said:

"He said Hikaru is 75% cheating. To start with, I don't know what that means. I don't know what 75% cheating is. What he is saying comes from a misunderstanding of his statistics and he's conflating different statistical models."

Fabiano also provided his perspective on the online cheating situation, describing it as "hopeless" in terms of addressing the issue:

"In terms of let's say what can be done for cheating, I think online is more or less hopeless. I don't think there's a way to do it, to save online chess, to ensure that it's safe. I think with online chess, basically, you have to run an honor system and clearly, the honor system isn't working..."

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Fabiano Caruana is one of the leading Chess players in the world. He will be participating in an upcoming Fischer random Chess tournament titled Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge, which will also feature Magnus Carlsen. The tournament will take place at the WEISSENHAUS Private Nature Luxury Resort (Germany) from February 9 to 16.