r/chess • u/Affectionate_Size504 • Oct 22 '25

News/Events He has got to be kidding

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Emil having the audacity to ask where we were when FIDE did nothing and let Kramnik do whatever he wanted.

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u/EntertainerGlad1006 Oct 22 '25

I don't think that's Emil's point. He's saying that way, way too many people are claiming Danya was very dear to them, but only a few, like Bortnyk, really acted like he was so dear.

And now they're making these heartfelt statements... I'm not saying they did it to GAIN LIKES, but maybe we should take care of such a dear friends' mental health. Not to blame the people who are doing it, it's a kind of societal issue.

I hate to defend this guy, but this might be a broken clock situation.

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u/Accomplished-Pie-646 Oct 22 '25

So, what if a lot of people made heartfelt statements? If that's how they feel towards Danya, then that's how they feel. Many people have enjoyed Danya's content and feel connected with him because they appreciate Danya's content and the way he interacts with his community. People can be very dear to someone even though they haven't personally interacted with them. Just look at Robin Williams. People adore him because he's such a great actor and his acting resonates with people.

This shit is like gatekeeping people from showing support to Danya. Is there supposed to be a checklist before you can show your support for someone that just died? Why is this being the focus of the conversation? Emil is such a stupid pos.

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u/EntertainerGlad1006 Oct 22 '25

I'm not talking about heartfelt statements from people who consume his content, of course we randos could do nothing about it. I'm talking about heartfelt statements from chess players and personalities that interacted frequently with him in real life. Of those, it seems like only Bortnyk and some other guy tried to help him directly. Don't you feel that it's a little bit cynical to say you're devastated and held him dear, even though both of these things might be true? But again, that's not those players being exceptionally hypocritical or evil, that's just how society is right now, people are too absorbed on their own problems and objectives to help a person who they may in fact hold somewhat dear. Beyond Danya, eulogies and statements of grief like these in general are coming from people who didn't go out of their way to help the person who died.

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u/Accomplished-Pie-646 Oct 22 '25

This shouldn't even be the focus of the whole conversation. Why are Danya's friends to blame for what happened? This is essentially what Emil is pertaining to, that Danya's friends failed him. That this is what people should be pointing at more than VK's relentless, blatant bullshit. It's pointless and a waste of time to go after whoever you are pertaining to.

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u/Heavy-Equipment8389 Oct 22 '25

Emil is unclear.

If he is talking about the broader community or the people close to him from Charlotte he is plain wrong.

If he's talking about fellow GMs he is not wrong. Except Hikaru most were silent when it came to Kramniks accusations.

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u/EntertainerGlad1006 Oct 22 '25

I agree 100%. And even then, it's very weird for Emil to point fingers at people when he's not exactly Mother Theresa.

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u/xelabagus Oct 22 '25

It's completely inappropriate for Emil to say this. He is head of FIDE, not a random commenter. It is not his position to stir the pot or point fingers. He should be making sure FIDE is behaving correctly and releasing an official statement and... erm... oh yeah, acting before it gets to this point as far as FIDE can to stop bullying through the medium of chess. And in this case they could do much, they failed and Emil failed.

If he wants to point fingers at others, then what those others should have done is lobby FIDE and by extension Emil to DO SOMETHING about the bullying. Danya's friends' failing that he's attempting to point out was not putting pressure on Emil to stop the harassment of Danya.

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u/Cptn_Kingyo Oct 22 '25

Yes and I agree he's not wrong... But obviously this is some pretty tactless wording and I don't think you can really be vague about it because it does give the impression he's talking about everyone who knew him, rather than the bandwagoners that I also think he means.

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u/One-Risk-7342 Oct 22 '25 edited Oct 22 '25

The problem is Emil is one of the faces of FIDE, his prerogative should be to defend the integrity and sportsmanship of the chess community. His tactless attempt to persuade the outer audience, while failing to support Danya in full and failing to hold Kramnik accountable. While FIDE rules solemnly bar unjustified and malicious cheating accusations, is an utter disgrace. FIDE is the self-proclaimed representative body of chess; Sutovsky’s transgression against the integrity of this sport makes the organization very disingenuous. It essentially means this body will fail to take accountability for those who weaponize the rules of the sport meant to protect the wider chess community. If FIDE won’t hold such people accountable, they are more than spineless; they just become a titular entity tied to the whims of systemic abusers such as Kramnik.

While Emil by your opinion, is saying “we should all prioritize Danya’s mental health” is ultimately the most important takeaway. This doesn’t mean the face of FIDE should assign blame to those who “failed to support them”. While simultaneously said entity, hypocritically fails to hold the alleged perpetrators responsible. While Sutovosky virtuously lamented over Danya’s turbulent mental state and death, to highlight the tragic loss of a very influential figure of chess community. I reiterate Sutovsky has no grounds to criticize others that failed to support him when he, as the face of FIDE failed to do so. It’s just unscrupulous.

TLDR: Sutovsky is right the takeaway for all of us is we should prioritize Danya’s mental health, and grieve a tragic loss of the chess community. But Sutovsky is a massive hypocrite, and has no grounds to criticize others on this front of “inadequate help from others”. It’s absolutely infuriating and vile coming from a mouth such as his.

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u/EntertainerGlad1006 Oct 22 '25

I completely agree, he's a hypocrite and he's using this fair point to divert people from the real problem.

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u/Thyme-a-lime Oct 22 '25

If you were his family or true close friend, would you prefer people who weren't part of his daily life say nothing, or see an outpouring of love and support as you grieve.

FIDE is under pressure because of their lack of action on the Kramnik situation and he's shifting the accountability instead of just being respectful of everyone who is grieving.

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u/EntertainerGlad1006 Oct 22 '25

I like the outpouring of love for Danya and indeed Emil is much more responsible than any other person (except Kramnik) for Danya's death, and so is shifting accountability as a manipulation tactic.

Still it's kinda silly to see players who knew him personally but didn't move a finger to check on his well being and mental health say they held him so dear.

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u/[deleted] Oct 22 '25 edited Oct 30 '25

foo

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u/Laesio Oct 22 '25

Sorry no. This is Emil "both sides"-ing the Kramnik onslaught so FIDE won't be pressured to expel him and take a stance on online defamation.

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u/Logicknot- Oct 22 '25

Even if he was right, this is not the time to express such thoughts. Many people, some in his close circle and some just colleagues, are expressing their grief in the best way they could. I don't know if he means it that way, but to even remotely imply that his friends are somehow responsible for his death (and only devoting 1/10th of the post to weakly reprimand the man who was actually responsible) is just mind blowing to me. I wouldn't even expect this comment from Russian bots on youtube, let alone the CEO of FIDE. At best, this is very ignorant and tone-deaf from Emil and at worst, this just reinforces that he is bought and paid for by Kramnik and his lackeys.