Tragic Loss: Chess Prodigy Daniel Naroditsky Passes Away at 29

Daniel Naroditsky, a chess prodigy who evolved into a grandmaster, played a significant role in modernizing the ancient game through online platforms and virtual tutorials. Tragically, he passed away at the age of 29.

Renowned as a pivotal figure in contemporary chess, Naroditsky built a substantial online presence, attracting thousands of followers on platforms like YouTube and Twitch with his insightful educational videos.

He claimed victory at the Under-12 World Championship and achieved the grandmaster title by 18, a prestigious rank just below the world champion.

Born to Jewish immigrants from Ukraine and Azerbaijan, Naroditsky penned his first chess strategy book, “Mastering Positional Chess,” at just 14, making him one of the youngest authors in the chess community. He grew up in San Mateo County, California.

The Charlotte Chess Center in North Carolina, where Naroditsky trained and worked as a coach, called him “a talented chess player, educator, and beloved member of the chess community.” 

“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,” his family said in a statement shared by the center. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Naroditsky’s top scalp in world chess was in 2021 when he defeated Fabiano Caruana, as World No. 2 and the reigning U.S. Champion.

He consistently ranked in the top 200 worldwide for traditional chess and 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 U.S. National Blitz Championship in August.

Naroditsky is credited with introducing the professional chess world and a new generation of online fans discovering the game for the first time through thousands of livestreams and tutorials.

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 Monday.