American Chess Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky Dead Unexpectedly at 29

Chess grandmaster and prodigy Daniel Naroditsky has died unexpectedly at the age of 29. 

The news was announced by Naroditsky’s family on Monday, October 20, in a statement released by the Charlotte Chess Center. 

“It is with great sadness that we share the unexpected passing of Daniel Naroditsky,” the statement read. “Daniel was a talented chess player, commentator, and educator, and a cherished member of the chess community, admired and respected by fans and players around the world. He was also a loving son and brother, and a loyal friend to many.”

The statement continued, “We ask for privacy for Daniel’s family during this extremely difficult time. Let us remember Daniel for his passion and love for the game of chess, and for the joy and inspiration he brought to us all every day.”

A cause of death has yet to be released. 

Naroditsky rose to prominence in 2007 when he won the under-12 boys world youth championship.

He earned the title of grandmaster — the international chess federation’s highest-ranked chess competitor — after winning the 2013 US Junior Championship when he was 17.

After attending Stanford University, Naroditsky had been working as a chess coach in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Naroditsky was credited with bringing chess to a younger, more modern audience through his popular Twitch and YouTube channels, the latter of which has nearly 500k subscribers. 

He last posted on YouTube on Friday, October 17, uploading a video called “You Thought I Was Gone!? Speedrun Returns!” 

Naroditsky became The New York Times’ chess columnist in 2022, when he helped explain his love and obsession for the game. 

“You need extreme patience,” he said, “because, more so than in any other game, you’re going to suck for a while.”

He added, “I don’t know if this is a personality trait, but if you want to get good at the game, you have to have the willingness to do the same thing over and over and over again. You have to be very goal-oriented because of that. Sometimes, all that sustains you is knowing where you want to be.”

Despite being one of the world’s best, Naroditsky explained how chess still found ways to constantly challenge him.

“Even at my level,” he told the Times, “I can still discover beautiful things about the game every single time I train, teach, play or am a commentator at a tournament.”

Naroditsky’s death was felt massively by members throughout the chess community, including the No. 2 ranked player in the world, Hikaru Nakamura. 

“When it came to making chess content to help beginners, his was the best,” Nakamura, 37, told the BBC. “I have played more than a thousand games of chess with Daniel. Chess is a very cut-throat world and emotions run high, but Daniel was always calm.”

Nakamura said Naroditsky’s popular online presence “wasn’t about the money for him.”

“He had a true passion for the game,” he gushed. 

20-year-old British chess player Zara Graham credited Naroditsky for getting her into the game. 

“Even though I never met him in person I was absolutely devastated to hear the news,” Graham told the BBC. “I actually cried when I found out. He was a brilliant chess teacher who inspired me to start playing when I was 14. He explained things in his YouTube videos so that everyone could understand.”

Graham added, “He made an impact on thousands of people around the world.”