The California-born athlete won the Under-12 World Championship and became a grandmaster at the age of 18.
Published October 21, 2025
American chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky has died suddenly at the age of 29, his family announced in a statement released by his club, the Charlotte Chess Center, on Monday.
“We are extremely saddened to learn of the unexpected death of Daniel Naroditsky,” the family said in a statement.
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“Daniel was a talented chess player, commentator, educator, and valued member of the chess community.”
The cause of death was not immediately known.
At the age of 18, Naroditsky became a grandmaster, the highest ranking in chess apart from world chess champion.
A few years earlier, the California-born player had won the Under-12 World Championship and spent his teenage years writing a chess strategy book that helped him climb the world rankings.
He consistently ranked within the world’s top 200 in traditional chess, and also excelled in a fast-paced style called blitz chess, where he remained in the top 25 throughout his adult career.
Most recently, Naroditsky, known to many as Danya, won the U.S. Blitz Championship in August. He also placed 9th at last year’s Blitz World Championship.
The Naroditsky family shared the sad news of Daniel’s unexpected passing. Daniel was a talented chess player, educator, and beloved member of the chess community. As the family grieves, we ask for privacy. pic.twitter.com/otNdUxDKtL
— Charlotte Chess Center (@CLTchesscenter) October 20, 2025
Fellow grandmasters credited Naroditsky with introducing the sport to a wider audience by live-streaming many of his matches and sharing live commentary of others. Thousands of people regularly turned to YouTube and the interactive streaming platform Twitch to watch Naroditsky play.
“He loved streaming, he loved trying to do educational things, and the chess world is very grateful,” American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura said on Monday’s livestream.
The last video posted to his YouTube channel on Friday was titled “You Thought I Was Gone!?” After taking a hiatus from streaming, Naroditsky told viewers that he was “back and better than ever.” He broadcast chess live on his computer from his home studio, speaking to viewers through his moves.
Other elite chess players around the world also expressed shock and sadness on social media.
Indian chess grandmaster and five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand said he was “shocked” by the news and described Naroditsky as “an excellent chess commentator and educator” and “a really nice guy”.
Dutch chess grandmaster Benjamin Bok reflected on his lifelong friendship with Naroditsky, saying he had known him since they won the Under-12 World Championship in 2007.
“I still can’t believe it and I don’t want to believe it,” he told X. “It was always an honor to play, train and commentate with Danya, but most of all it was an honor to call him a friend.”
Naroditsky was the son of Jewish immigrants to the United States from Ukraine and Azerbaijan. He was born and raised in San Mateo County, California, and was, according to his parents, a very serious child with good attention and memory.
He studied history at Stanford University and earned his bachelor’s degree in 2019 after taking a year off to play in a chess tournament.
After college, he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he coached some of the area’s top junior chess players.
