“Think he will ever get an apology?” - GothamChess responds to Vladimir Kramnik's contentious remarks about GM Jospem

Those who stay connected with the chess community are likely aware of the recent drama involving former World Champion and Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik. He has been in the spotlight in recent months, notably for urging Chess.com to scrutinize Twitch streamer and Grandmaster Hikaru "GMHikaru's" online games.

Today (February 28), Kramnik has again directed criticism towards another streamer and Grandmaster Jose Martinez a.k.a GM Jospem. This comes in the aftermath of Martinez's performance in the recent Titled Tuesday (TT) event.

Kramnik's recent outspoken comments have garnered mixed reactions within the chess community and from Chess.com. In response to his criticism of Jospem, Levy "GothamChess" weighed in, stating:

"This is Jose Martinez, one of the most prominent Spanish-speaking chess Grandmasters. He has been accused of cheating—publicly and behind his back—by top players. He just achieved this result with a film crew watching him. Think he will ever get an apology?"

GothamChess defends GM Jospem following recent comments from Kramnik (Image via X)

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What did Vladimir Kramnik say about GM Jospem?

Vladimir Kramnik had previously highlighted Jose Martinez's Titled Tuesday performance as worthy of scrutiny, hinting at an unusual level of accuracy. Yesterday, Martinez participated in the TT tournament with the Chess.com crew present and secured a second-place finish.

However, Kramnik took notice of Martinez's performance and criticized him for making blunders, even going as far as labeling him as lucky to have secured a second-place victory:

"Huge number of blunders in those two events from Jospem, uncharacteristically weak games in general from him. Pure luck in one of the TTs he shared second place and should have scored even less in second if not for opponents blundering in both events every second game. Very concerning."

Kramnik's critical comments on Jospem (Image via X)

Kramnik also posted a couple of screenshots from the analysis of one of Jospem's matches in the TT event, showcasing a particular move where Martinez's opponent blundered:

Kramnik posts screenshots of Jospem's matches in the latest TT (Image via X)

It's unclear what exactly Kramnik suggested through the screenshots. It's possible he tried to double down on his criticism of Martinez being lucky in these matches by highlighting specific blunders.

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GMHikaru has already expressed his criticism against Vladimir Kramnik's ongoing rants targeting various players, including himself and Chess.com. Additionally, GMHikaru suggested that Kramnik's outspokenness might lead to trouble with FIDE or other notable players.