India, Oct. 23 -- The International Chess Federation (FIDE) CEO Emil Sutovsky issued a clarification after facing widespread backlash for comments he made following the death of American Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky. Sutovsky's initial statement, in which he condemned former world champion Vladimir Kramnik's "appalling and outright shameful" remarks about Naroditsky, also appeared to fault the late player's friends and wider chess community for failing to support him during his struggles - drawing sharp criticism online.

Naroditsky, 29, was found dead in North Carolina earlier this month. Once a beloved commentator and streamer, he had withdrawn from public chess life amid unsubstantiated cheating allegations repeatedly made by Kramnik....