American chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky has died unexpectedly at the age of 29, his family said in a statement released by his club, the Charlotte Chess Center, on Monday.
“It is with great sadness that we share the unexpected passing of Daniel Naroditsky,” the family said.
“Daniel was a talented chess player, commentator, and educator, and a cherished member of the chess community.”
The cause of death was not immediately known.
Naroditsky became a grandmaster, the highest title in chess aside from World Chess Champion, at the age of 18.
Years earlier, the California-born player 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.
Most recently Naroditsky, known to many as Danya, won the United States National Blitz Championship in August. He also came ninth in the blitz world championship last year.
The Naroditsky family shares the sad news of Daniel’s unexpected passing. Daniel was a talented chess player, educator, and beloved member of the chess community. We ask for privacy as the family grieves. pic.twitter.com/otNdUxDKtL
— Charlotte Chess Center (@CLTchesscenter) October 20, 2025
Fellow grandmasters credited 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.
“He loved streaming, and he loved trying to be educational. The chess world is very grateful,” Hikaru Nakamura, an American grandmaster, said on a livestream on Monday.
In a final video posted to his YouTube channel on Friday titled You Thought I Was Gone!? Naroditsky told viewers he was “back, better than ever” after taking a break from streaming. He talked viewers through his moves as he played live chess matches on the computer from a home studio.
Other elite chess players from around the globe took to social media to express their shock and sadness.
Indian chess grandmaster and five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand said he was “shocked” by the news, describing Naroditsky as “an excellent chess commentator and educator” and “a genuinely nice person”.
Dutch chess grandmaster Benjamin Bok reflected on his lifelong friendship with Naroditsky, who he said he had 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.
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