The tragic discovery of chess prodigy Daniel Naroditsky’s body was made by two men who had confronted him just two nights prior. They had visited his home after witnessing him in the midst of an emotional breakdown during a livestream, as exclusively reported by the Daily Mail.

During the confrontation, Naroditsky, who was under scrutiny due to accusations of cheating, was threatened with having his game interrupted. Despite his distress, the embattled grandmaster implored them to allow him to continue his broadcast.

Peter Giannatos, 34, the founder of the Charlotte Chess Center, insisted, “Daniel, finish the stream,” as he attempted to intervene.

Giannatos continued, “No, I’m going to unplug it if you don’t end it,” standing firm in his demand.

In the background, both Giannatos and another friend, Bortnyk, could be heard urging the resistant Naroditsky to end the livestream and take a break for the night.

But Naroditsky continued his chess marathon with subscribers, ranting about the need to prove himself after former Russian chess world champion Vladimir Kramnik accused him of cheating. 

As Daily Mail exclusively reported, police believe that Naroditsky may have either killed himself at his North Carolina home or died from an accidental overdose. Daily Mail understands there were no pills or alcohol near his body.

Charlotte Chess Club founder Peter Giannatos told Daily Mail his was the voice urging Daniel Naroditsky to log off and ‘call it a night’ as he visibly unraveled on his final livestream 

Naroditsky (left) was discovered dead Sunday by fellow grandmaster Oleksandr Bortnyk who went with Giannatos to his home after losing contact with him 

For months he had been tormented by unfounded claims from former World Number One Vladimir Kramnik that he had cheated in online games by using a supercomputer that gave the best possible moves.

Giannatos told Daily Mail in an exclusive interview that after finally convincing him to cut the live feed, he and Bortnyk chatted with him ‘extensively’ without revealing what the talks were about. 

Naroditsky’s public breakdown unfolded Friday night into Saturday morning before hundreds of subscribers to his video channel. 

They then left him alone in the home during the overnight hours around 3am. But Chess.com records show that Naroditsky logged back on and continued playing until 5.39am.

Late Saturday morning, Naroditsky participated in an online Comet sponsored chess event, Giannatos said. He played more games after the event until 5.03pm.

It was the following evening on Sunday, that he and Bortnyk returned to their friend’s duplex in the Ballantyne area of Charlotte.

‘We saw him on the couch from a window,’ Giannatos told Daily Mail in a text conversation. ‘After knocking and ringing doorbell, I then went into the home and discovered him. I then went outside and asked Bortnyk to call 911.’

Bortnyk, 29, then joined him inside.

‘He then passed me the phone and I was on the phone with the dispatcher before the police and medics came shortly after,’ Giannatos said.

There were no signs of foul play and investigators do not suspect any criminal activity.

Giannatos told Daily Mail that on that tragic Sunday evening he saw Naroditsky sitting on the couch from a window, before walking into his home and telling Bortnyk to call 911 

The video streamed live Friday night into Saturday morning, provided a concerning window into the young man’s mental state shortly before his death.

‘Okay, who else wants to receive a beating?’ wild-eyed Naroditsky declared at just over the two-hour mark of the live stream.

Naroditsky, audibly sighing and burying his head in his hands, again brought up the Kramnik’s cheating allegations.

‘The problem is ever since the Kramnik stuff, I feel like if I start doing well, the people assume the worst of intentions,’ he despaired.

‘I know what you mean, but you don’t have anything to prove to those people,’ the friend responded.

The International Chess Federation, chess’s governing body, has announced it is investigating possible disciplinary action against Kramnik, 50, who was world champion from 2000 to 2006.. 

Benjamin Bok, a fellow grandmaster who was friends with Naroditsky, told Daily Mail he was watching the live feed with concern that Friday night. Bok, 30, tried to message him, issuing a ‘challenge’ that popped up on the live feed.

Subscribers typically use the notification to challenge players to a game, but in this case, Bok just wanted to get his friend’s attention.

‘It was very clear from his stream that he was not doing well and I was worried, which is why I sent him a challenge he would accept,’ Bok told Daily Mail. ‘It was just a way to get his attention and make it clear to him that I think he should get some rest.’ 

Throughout his final stream, Naroditsky ranted about the need to prove himself after former Russian chess world champion Vladimir Kramnik accused him of cheating

Longtime friend  Benjamin Bok (right) said he watched the live feed that Friday night with mounting concern. He even attempted to get Naroditsky’s attention by sending a ‘challenge’ which briefly flashed up on screen 

Naroditsky did not reply.

Bok said he spoke with Giannatos and Bortnyk after they discovered the body.

‘Those are the two people who checked in on him Friday into Saturday, and you can hear them in the background telling him to turn his stream off,’ Bok said. 

‘And then at some point they left that night. They checked on him again on Sunday but unfortunately it was too late.’

Dutchman Bok, 30, had known Naroditsky since 2007, when they met at the World Youth Chess Championship Under-12 tournament in Turkey. Naroditsky won that competition and beat Bok the following year at the Youth Championship in Vietnam.

They became closer friends during the pandemic, after Naroditsky graduated from Stanford University in his native California and moved to join the active chess community in Charlotte, North Carolina.

‘Peter brought him to the chess center, where Daniel started pursuing chess full time,’ Bok said. ‘That’s where a lot of his success started.

‘We reconnected during those times, but during the last year, I had the pleasure of becoming closer friends with him,’ Bok said. ‘We would regularly text and call.’ 

Bok, 30, first crossed paths with Naroditsky as young prodigies at the 2007 World Youth Chess Championship in Turkey – years later they reunited at the Charlotte Chess Center during the pandemic 

Russian chess grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik accused Naroditsky and others of using ‘chess engines’ to cheat in online games 

Bok had spoken with Naroditsky about his feud with Russian chess grandmaster Kramnik, who accused him and others of cheating in online games, with the use of ‘chess engines’ – computer programs that generate moves regarded as the strongest in a given scenario.

‘In my opinion, the accusations were absolutely ridiculous and ungrounded,’ Bok told Daily Mail. ‘There was never anything close to evidence against him.

‘Daniel did say to me and said publicly that Kramnik’s actions were causing him emotional and physical harm,’ Bok said.

Bok said he also had concerns about his friend’s online chess marathons.

‘One thing I also was often worried about was his sleep schedule because he would often play chess until deep into the night or sometimes the early morning,’ he said.

‘I tried to be there for him and tell him how ridiculous all these claims were,’ he said. ‘Honestly, I wish I had talked about that with him more. I did not know the severity of the situation.’

He said he’d never seen his friend suffer as he did during that final live stream.

Naroditsky’s demeanor during the livestream revealed a level of suffering Bok had never witnessed before 

During the stream, Naroditsky was seen burying his head in his hands as he struggled during his chess marathon – declaring a 2am curfew when pressed by his friends to log off

Interacting with viewers, Naroditsky spoke of ‘the complete misconceptions and ignorant perspective people have’.

He said that no matter how often he defends himself, ‘I know that unfortunately, the amount of people who are falling for the insanity is not just high but catastrophically existentially high to the point where this is an imminent and incredibly sticky threat to my career.’

He repeatedly buried his head in his hands as he struggled over several games of chess.

‘Nothing goes right now, I’m just too slow,’ he declared during one match. ‘That’s the problem, it’s just too slow. The definition of getting in your own head.

‘And this is where I just got to define true fighting spirt, all the cliches, all these, all these,’ he muttered.

‘Sorry guys,’ he says, exhaling loudly. ‘A streak is coming.’

The International Chess Federation announced it was investigating possible disciplinary action against Kramnik

‘Be well, be healthy,’ he said. ‘And I’ll see you guys, win or lose, after the match.’

As news spread about his death, Naroditsky’s family, friends and colleagues mourned loss while also reflecting on the strain the young man was exhibiting in his final days.

Some saw a need to hold the Russian former champion responsible for his alleged harassment.

‘Chess players can definitely experience a lot of stress from playing,’ Bok said. ‘But then baseless cheating allegations can cause even more strain.

‘I think he definitely went too far,’ he said of Kramnik. ‘There was never any evidence. I think he should face some kind of punishment.’