Daniel Naroditsky, a chess grandmaster who began as a baby prodigy and shortly turned one of the vital influential American voices within the sport, died Monday. He was 29.
The Charlotte Chess Heart in North Carolina, the place Naroditsky educated and labored as a coach, introduced his demise on social media, calling 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 household stated in a press release shared by the middle.
The reason for demise was not instantly identified.
Naroditsky turned a grandmaster, the best title in chess except for World Chess Champion, on the age of 18.
Years earlier, the California-born participant received the Beneath 12 world championship and spent his teenage years writing chess technique books as he climbed the world rankings.
He was constantly ranked within the prime 200 worldwide for conventional chess and likewise excelled at a fast-paced model referred to as blitz chess, sustaining a prime 25 rating all through his grownup profession. Most just lately Naroditsky, identified to many as Danya, received the U.S. Nationwide Blitz Championship in August.
This undated picture launched by Charlotte Chess Heart reveals Daniel Naroditsky enjoying chess. (Kelly Centrelli / Charlotte Chess Heart through AP
Kelly Centrelli / AP
Fellow grandmasters credited Naroditsky with introducing the game to a wider viewers by livestreaming a lot of his matches and sharing reside commentary on others. 1000’s of individuals frequently tuned in on YouTube and the interactive streaming platform Twitch to look at Naroditsky play.
“He loved streaming, and he loved trying to be educational. The chess world is very grateful,” Hikaru Nakamura, an American grandmaster, stated on a livestream Monday.
In a ultimate video posted to his YouTube channel on Friday titled “You Thought I Was Gone!?” Naroditsky tells viewers he’s “back, better than ever” after taking a inventive break from streaming. He talks viewers via his strikes as he performs reside chess matches on the pc from a comfortable residence studio.
Different elite chess gamers from across the globe took to social media to specific their shock and unhappiness.
Dutch chess grandmaster Benjamin Bok mirrored on his lifelong friendship with Naroditsky, who he stated he’s identified for the reason that Beneath 12 world championship that Naroditsky received in 2007.
“I still can’t believe it and don’t want to believe it,” Bok stated 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 U.S. from Ukraine and Azerbaijan. He was born and raised in San Mateo County, California, and was described by his mother and father as a really critical child with a powerful consideration span and reminiscence. He went on to review historical past at Stanford College, incomes a bachelor’s diploma in 2019 after taking a 12 months off to play in chess tournaments.
After faculty, he moved to Charlotte, the place he coached the world’s prime junior chess gamers.
