Daniel Naroditsky’s Titled Tuesday Ban
On July 8, 2025, American Grandmaster and Streamer Daniel Naroditsky was disqualified from Chess.com’s Titled Tuesday for failing to enable “emote-only” mode in his Twitch chat during the final rounds, breaching anti-cheating streaming rules.
On the July 12 *C-Squared Podcast* with Fabiano Caruana and Cristian Chirila, Naroditsky took full responsibility, admitting his decision was driven by frustration from multiple sources: poor performance, missing the first round, and scoring only 4.5 points after seven rounds, which had him considering withdrawal by round eight. Compounding his frustration was Chess.com’s proctoring interface, which he found less fluid than conventional browsers, creating a slight but significant disadvantage in speed chess. Initially excited to test the proctor software, Naroditsky grew irritated when he discovered not all players were required to use it, raising concerns about fairness. The podcast hosts speculated whether the proctor rollout was random or targeted at players like Naroditsky, especially following Vladimir Kramnik’s public cheating accusations against others.
Unlike Kramnik’s 2024 ban for account-sharing, Naroditsky’s violation was a technical oversight, not intentional misconduct. He advocated for universal proctoring to ensure equity, a view Caruana and Chirila endorsed, calling for clearer rules. This incident underscores ongoing debates in online chess about consistent anti-cheating measures and transparency, as the community seeks to balance competitiveness and trust.
Photo courtesy: Lennart Ootes
