Daniel Naroditsky, a chess grandmaster and widely respected commentator, has died at the age of 29.
“The Naroditsky family shares the sad news of Daniel’s unexpected passing,” read a statement posted by the Charlotte Chess Center on X on Oct. 20. “Daniel was a talented chess player, educator, and beloved member of the chess community. We ask for privacy as the family grieves.”
Naroditsky, who grew up in California’s Bay Area, first made headlines in the chess world as a child, winning the Under-12 section of the World Youth Chess Championship in 2007. At just 14, he published Mastering Positional Chess in 2010.
By 2013, Naroditsky had won the U.S. Junior Championship and earned his grandmaster title later that year. The following year, he received the prestigious Samford Chess Fellowship, one of the most notable honors awarded to young American chess players. Over the next decade, he remained a consistent presence in U.S. Chess Championships and ranked among the top 200 players worldwide.
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Beyond competitive play, Naroditsky built a large online following, with more than 484,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, where he shared live commentary and instructional videos. On Oct. 17, he posted his final upload — his first in several weeks — after telling followers he was “taking a creative break.”
Tributes from across the global chess community poured in following news of his death.
“Danya was more than an amazing, inspirational face of our game — he was a friend and brother,” said Chess.com’s Chief Chess Officer Danny Rensch. “The news is devastating for the chess world and all who knew him. It’s impossible to put words to this kind of loss. My love, thoughts, and prayers are with his family.”
Grandmaster Oleksandr Bortnyk wrote on X, “RIP my great friend Daniel Naroditsky, I still can’t believe.”
“I’ve been sitting here numb for the past hour staring at this news,” shared grandmaster Levy Rozman. “The world lost a brilliant man today. May his memory live on forever and may we always cherish his contributions to our beautiful game.”
