Daniel Naroditsky, a chess grandmaster who rose to fame as a child prodigy and became a leading voice in American chess, passed away on Monday at the age of 29.
The Charlotte Chess Club in North Carolina, where Naroditsky trained and coached, shared the news on social media, calling him “a skilled player, teacher, and beloved member of the chess community.”
“Let us remember Daniel for his passion for chess and the joy and inspiration he shared with everyone every day,” his family said in a statement shared by the club.
The cause of death has not been revealed.
Naroditsky earned the grandmaster title, the highest in chess aside from World Champion, at just 18. Earlier in his life, he won the Under-12 World Championship and wrote books on chess strategy as a teenager while climbing the world rankings.
He was consistently ranked in the top 200 globally in traditional chess and excelled in blitz chess, a fast-paced version of the game, maintaining a top 25 ranking as an adult. In August, he won the U.S. National Blitz Championship.
Other grandmasters praised Naroditsky for bringing chess to a wider audience through livestreams and live commentary. Thousands of fans followed his matches on YouTube and Twitch.
“He loved streaming and teaching. The chess world is very thankful for him,” said American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura on a livestream Monday. Naroditsky’s last YouTube video, posted Friday and titled “You Thought I Was Gone!?,” showed him returning from a creative break, playing live games, and explaining his moves from his home studio.
Chess players worldwide shared their shock and sadness on social media. Dutch grandmaster Benjamin Bok, a longtime friend since Naroditsky’s Under-12 World Championship win in 2007, said, “I still can’t believe it. It was a privilege to play, train, and commentate with Danya, and even more, to call him my friend.”
Born in San Mateo County, California, to Jewish immigrants from Ukraine and Azerbaijan, Naroditsky was known as a serious child with great focus and memory. He studied history at Stanford University, earning his bachelor’s degree in 2019 after taking a year off to compete in chess tournaments.
After graduating, he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he coached the city’s top junior chess players.
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