American chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky has died unexpectedly at the age of 29.
The Charlotte Chess Centre in North Carolina, where Naroditsky trained and worked as a coach, announced his death on social media, calling him “a talented chess player, educator, and beloved member of the chess community”.
In a statement on Monday, his family said: “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.”
No cause of death was given.
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Naroditsky, born in California in 1995, was one of the United States’ most recognisable chess figures. A former world youth champion, he became a grandmaster, the highest title in chess aside from World Chess Champion, at the age of 18.
Years earlier, Naroditsky won the Under-12 World Championship and spent his teenage years writing chess strategy books as he climbed the world rankings.
He was consistently ranked in the top 200 worldwide for traditional chess and also excelled at a fast-paced style called blitz chess, maintaining a top 25 ranking throughout his adult career. Naroditsky, known to many as Danya, won the US National Blitz Championship in August.
In addition to competing, finishing ninth in the blitz world championship last year, he was widely known as a popular commentator, writer and online educator.
Fellow grandmasters credit Naroditsky with introducing the sport to a wider audience by livestreaming many of his matches and sharing live commentary on others. Thousands of people regularly tuned in on YouTube and the interactive streaming platform Twitch to watch Naroditsky play.
Tributes have poured in from across the chess world, with players and fans praising his teaching skills and friendly personality.
“I’m devastated. This is a massive loss for the world of chess,” American world number two Hikaru Nakamura said.
Dutch chess grandmaster Benjamin Bok reflected on his lifelong friendship with Naroditsky, who he said he has known since the Under 12 World Championship that Naroditsky won in 2007.
“I still can’t believe it and don’t want to believe it,” Bok said on X. “It was always a privilege to play, train, and commentate with Danya, but above all, to call him my friend.”
Naroditsky was the son of Jewish immigrants to the US from Ukraine and Azerbaijan. He was born and raised in San Mateo County, California, and was described by his parents as a very serious kid with an impressive attention span and memory.
He went on to study history at Stanford University, earning a bachelor’s degree in 2019 after taking a year off to play in chess tournaments.
After college, he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he coached the area’s top junior chess players. – Reuters/AP
