The Charlotte Chess Center in North Carolina, where he trained and worked with youth, described him as “a talented player, commentator, and educator, a valuable member of the chess community.” American Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky has died at the age of 29, the club reported in a statement.
“It is with great sadness that we learn of [his] unexpected passing,” the text begins, without specifying the cause, before requesting to “respect the family’s privacy during this extremely difficult time.” “Let us remember Daniel for his passion and love of the game of chess, as well as the joy and inspiration he brought us every day,” his family said in the message shared by the center.
A chess prodigy, Daniel Naroditsky, also known as “Danya,” was born in San Mateo, California, on November 9, 1995. He became a grandmaster – the highest title in the world of chess, aside from world champion – in 2013, at the age of 18.
Years earlier, he had won the World Under-12 Championship and spent his teenage years writing strategy books while climbing the international rankings. He was regularly ranked among the world’s top 200 players in classical chess and also excelled in the fast-paced style of play known as blitz, where he maintained a position in the top 25 throughout his adult career.
A ‘Privilege’ to Play With Him
Daniel Naroditsky significantly contributed to popularizing chess for a wider audience by live-streaming many of his own games and commentating on others’. Thousands of people regularly tuned in on YouTube and the Twitch platform to watch him play. In a final video, published on Friday and titled “You Thought I Was Gone!?”, he said he was “back, better than ever,” after taking a creative break.
Several chess legends paid tribute to him. The American Grandmaster and world number two said he was “devastated” by this “immense loss.” The former world champion honored Daniel Naroditsky’s memory by posting a photo on his account where he is standing next to the player, who was still a child at the time.
A Dutch Grandmaster spoke of his long-standing closeness with Daniel Naroditsky, whom he said he had known since 2007 and his victory at the World Under-12 Championship. “I still can’t believe it, and I don’t want to believe it,” he wrote. “It was always a privilege to play, train, and commentate with Danya, but most of all, to be able to call him my friend.”