Hikaru Nakamura reacted Gukesh Dommaraju’s statement about cheating in chess. Nakamura agrees with the World Champion’s view that people exaggerate the problem, and cites 19-year-old Denis Lazavik’s performance as an example.

Hikaru Nakamura

Hikaru Nakamura

World No. 2, streamer

“I do generally agree with Gukesh’s take though. I think when it comes to online chess specifically, a lot of people just get very paranoid about what’s going on. I don’t really believe it by the way.

I think there’s almost no cheating in online chess I think it’s practically nonexistent in tournaments, too. If we’re talking about random players with a 500 or 1000 rating on Chess.com or Lichess, then yes, I think it definitely happens there. But if you look at real tournaments, I really don’t believe it.

And I think a great example is someone I recently lost to in the SCC, Denis Lazavik. There have been rumors about him for many, many years. A lot of people thought he must be cheating because his rating is around 2500 or even 2550 over-the-board.

I’ve heard so many rumors about him. So many rumors. But when the chance to perform comes — and he performs and shows results — then you really have to re-evaluate what you think and what’s really going on.

It’s just a situation where there’s really no point in spreading such suspicions.”

Belarusian GM Denis Lazavik has faced unproven cheating rumors and accusations on social media in 2024-2025. This is primarily due to his rapid rise in online chess, where he consistently wins against elite players. Lazavik finished third in the 2025 Speed Chess Championship by defeating Hikaru Nakamura 13.5-12.5 in the consolation match.

Credit: Michal Walusza