US chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky dies at 29

3 hours ago 2

The California-born subordinate won the Under 12 satellite title and became a grandmaster astatine 18.

Published On 21 Oct 2025

American chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky has died unexpectedly astatine the property of 29, his household said successful a connection released by his club, the Charlotte Chess Center, connected Monday.

“It is with large sadness that we stock the unexpected passing of Daniel Naroditsky,” the household said.

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“Daniel was a talented chess player, commentator, and educator, and a cherished subordinate of the chess community.”

The origin of decease was not instantly known.

Naroditsky became a grandmaster, the highest rubric successful chess speech from World Chess Champion, astatine the property of 18.

Years earlier, the California-born subordinate won the Under 12 satellite title and spent his teenage years penning chess strategy books arsenic helium climbed the satellite rankings.

He was consistently ranked successful the apical 200 worldwide for accepted chess and besides excelled astatine a fast-paced benignant called blitz chess, maintaining a top-25 ranking passim his big career.

Most precocious Naroditsky, known to galore arsenic Danya, won the United States National Blitz Championship successful August. He besides came ninth successful the blitz satellite title past year.

The Naroditsky household shares the bittersweet quality of Daniel’s unexpected passing. Daniel was a talented chess player, educator, and beloved subordinate of the chess community. We inquire for privateness arsenic the household grieves. pic.twitter.com/otNdUxDKtL

— Charlotte Chess Center (@CLTchesscenter) October 20, 2025

Fellow grandmasters credited Naroditsky with introducing the athletics to a wider assemblage by livestreaming galore of his matches and sharing unrecorded commentary connected others. Thousands of radical regularly tuned successful connected YouTube and the interactive streaming level Twitch to ticker Naroditsky play.

“He loved streaming, and helium loved trying to beryllium educational. The chess satellite is precise grateful,” Hikaru Nakamura, an American grandmaster, said connected a livestream connected Monday.

In a last video posted to his YouTube transmission connected Friday titled You Thought I Was Gone!? Naroditsky told viewers helium was “back, amended than ever” aft taking a interruption from streaming. He talked viewers done his moves arsenic helium played unrecorded chess matches connected the machine from a location studio.

Other elite chess players from astir the globe took to societal media to explicit their daze and sadness.

Indian chess grandmaster and five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand said helium was “shocked” by the news, describing Naroditsky arsenic “an fantabulous chess commentator and educator” and “a genuinely bully person”.

Dutch chess grandmaster Benjamin Bok reflected connected his lifelong relationship with Naroditsky, who helium said helium had known since the Under 12 satellite title that Naroditsky won successful 2007.

“I inactive can’t judge it and don’t privation to judge it,” Bok said connected X. “It was ever a privilege to play, bid and commentate with Danya, but supra all, to telephone him my friend.”

Naroditsky was the lad of Jewish immigrants to the US from Ukraine and Azerbaijan. He was calved and raised successful San Mateo County, California, and was described by his parents arsenic a precise superior kid with an awesome attraction span and memory.

He went connected to survey past astatine Stanford University, earning a bachelor’s grade successful 2019 aft taking a twelvemonth disconnected to play successful chess tournaments.

After college, helium moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, wherever helium coached the area’s apical inferior chess players.

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