Daniel Naroditsky, a distinguished American chess grandmaster and teacher, has handed away on the age of 29. The Charlotte Chess Heart introduced his loss of life on October 20, 2025, with the trigger remaining undisclosed.Naroditsky, a Stanford graduate, achieved outstanding success within the chess world, turning into a grandmaster at 17. His most up-to-date accomplishment was profitable the US Nationwide Blitz Championship.“Daniel was a proficient chess participant, commentator, and educator, and a cherished member of the chess neighborhood, admired and revered by followers and gamers all over the world,” his household mentioned in a press release shared by the Charlotte Chess Heart. “Allow us to keep in mind Daniel for his ardour and love for the sport of chess, and for the enjoyment and inspiration he dropped at us all daily.”Days earlier than his loss of life, Naroditsky posted a video on his YouTube channel titled “You Thought I Was Gone!?” This was his first video in three months.Within the video, Naroditsky defined his return after taking a artistic break from streaming. He demonstrated dwell chess matches from his residence studio whereas explaining his strikes to viewers.The circumstances surrounding his loss of life have sparked discussions inside the chess neighborhood. Some followers have reported observing uncommon behaviour throughout his remaining livestream.A number of viewers famous regarding behaviour throughout his final stream, with one Reddit consumer describing trembling jaw actions, huge eyes, and occasional incoherent speech, together with switching to Russian.Russian Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik has raised questions in regards to the loss of life on his X profile. “What precisely occurred? I obtained this two days in the past from a pal who's a chess fan, and I did what I may to warn individuals urgently by way of my posts,” Kramnik wrote. “To those that want blaming and shaming as a substitute of serving to: terrible tragedy. I hope it's correctly investigated.”Naroditsky achieved grandmaster standing, chess's highest rank, at age 17 and authored a number of books in regards to the sport. In 2019, he started educating chess on YouTube below the identify Danya, serving to introduce the sport to a broader viewers.Born in San Mateo, California, Naroditsky's chess journey started at age six when his father taught him the sport. He went on to win the World Youth Chess Championship within the under-12 class earlier than incomes his grandmaster title.All through his profession, Naroditsky made important contributions to chess schooling and commentary. His on-line presence and educating strategies helped make chess extra accessible to new gamers.
