At just 14, chess grandmaster Andy Woodward suddenly became the talk of the town, not just for his brilliance but also for a scandal rocking the chess world.
This young prodigy, who’s been turning heads with his incredible talent, is now caught up in a cheating controversy that’s got everyone buzzing.
It all started with a jaw-dropping match against Daniel Naroditsky on March 8, 2025, and a fiery accusation from a chess legend, Vladimir Kramnik.
Daniel Naroditsky – Andy Woodward
— Mike Kagansky (@KaganskyMike) March 9, 2025
+0 =0 -15https://t.co/QAsDlXKPAD pic.twitter.com/zXaHbBM8Wx
At just 12, Andy Woodward earned his International Master (IM) title in 2022, and by January 30, 2024, he’d nabbed his third grandmaster norm, and FIDE officially crowned him a Grandmaster by the end of July 2024.
That makes him one of the youngest GMs ever, a title that puts him in the same league as chess icons like Magnus Carlsen and Bobby Fischer when they were kids.
Andy’s been making changes beyond just titles, too.
In 2023, he played for the Gotham Knights in the Pro Chess League alongside stars like Hikaru Nakamura.
The team determined the season, and Andy held his own.
At the World Junior Championships that same year, he scored a solid 6.5 out of 11, even though he was one of the youngest players.
The kid’s got skills, no doubt, but it’s his latest feat—a 15-0 sweep against Daniel Naroditsky that’s got people talking, and not always in a good way.
Andy Woodward Faced Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, And That Match Sparked Everything That Followed
On March 8, 2025, Andy Woodward faced Daniel Naroditsky, a 29-year-old grandmaster, author, and commentator known for his bullet chess prowess.
Bullet chess is a fast-thinking one-minute game where every second counts. Naroditsky’s a beast at this format, holding his own against the likes of Carlsen and Nakamura.
So when Andy beat him not once, not twice, but 15 times in a row, jaws hit the floor.
Even the best players in the world, like Carlsen or Nakamura, haven’t pulled off a streak like that against Naroditsky in bullet.
It’s not just impressive; it’s almost unbelievable. And that’s where the trouble started when a Russian grandmaster, GM Vladimir Kramnik, entered.
Kramnik was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006 and the undisputed champ from 2006 to 2007.
Since retiring from professional chess in 2019, he’s been a regular on Chess.com, playing blitz and stirring the pot with his outspoken takes.
On X, Kramnik dropped a bombshell, accusing Andy Woodward of cheating in those matches against Naroditsky.
https://t.co/cb2RFRD3SV
— Vladimir Kramnik (@VBkramnik) March 10, 2025
Haven't seen a single public reaction from chessplayers on this,best ever in history, performance. All the mice are sitting in their cozy holes.
Tells about the state of the world of chess and its morality more than thousand words
Kramnik didn’t mince words. He pointed to the 15-0 streak as suspicious, suggesting that not even a prodigy could dominate a player of Naroditsky’s caliber completely without some help.
The post went viral, and suddenly, Andy Woodward Cheating was trending.
This Isn’t The First Time Kramnik Has Faced Allegations Of Cheating
Things got messy in 2006 during his World Chess Championship match against Veselin Topalov.
Topalov’s team accused Kramnik of sneaking off to the bathroom too often, hinting he might’ve been getting outside help.
Kramnik fired back, questioning Topalov’s camp instead.
The whole thing blew up into “Toiletgate,” but no proof ever surfaced. It was a scandal without a smoking gun.
Fast-forward to 2022, and Kramnik accuses Hikaru Nakamura of cheating in online Chess.com events, pointing to some eyebrow-raising win streaks.
Chess.com investigated, found nothing, and the accusations fizzled out.
Then, in 2023, Kramnik raised red flags about Hans Niemann’s online play, piggybacking on the Niemann-Carlsen drama. Again, no hard evidence, just a lot of noise.
Kramnik’s a chess titan, no question. But his track record shows he’s quick to suspect foul play, even when proof’s thin.
So when he called out Andy Woodward, some took it seriously, while others rolled their eyes.
The online chess world erupted. On X, forums, and YouTube, fans and players picked sides.
Some cried, “Cheater!” They argued that a 14-year-old crushing a bullet chess master 15-0 was too good to be accurate and maybe Andy was using an engine, they said.
Others defended him, saying attacking a kid without evidence is unfair. After all, prodigies sometimes pull off miracles.
Chess YouTuber Levy Rozman, better known as GothamChess, entered the fray with a 26-minute video that broke it all down.
Rozman, an International Master himself, wasn’t buying the cheating angle.
He suggested that Naroditsky might’ve been “tilted” off his game emotionally after a few losses, which snowballed into the 15-0 rout.
Rozman admitted it’s rare but not impossible.
With his usual humor, he painted Andy as a young talent under attack rather than a villain, though he stopped short of saying it’s all settled.
As of now, there’s no solid proof that Andy Woodward cheated.
No Chess.com report, no official investigation, no caught-in-the-act moment.
It’s all speculation fueled by Kramnik’s clout and that insane 15-0 scoreline.
Bullet chess is chaotic, mistakes happen fast, and a strong player can capitalize.
For now, the chess world watches and waits.
The post Chess GM Andy Woodward Gains Attention With A Victory Over Daniel Naroditsky, Leading To Cheating Allegations From Vladimir Kramnik appeared first on Players Bio.