American Chess Grandmaster and Beloved Streamer Daniel Naroditsky Dies Unexpectedly at 29
Daniel Naroditsky, an American chess grandmaster whose livestreamed playing and accessible teaching on streaming platforms like Twitch brought him a large online following, has died at 29.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) October 21: Daniel Naroditsky, a leading chess player in the United States, was found dead unexpectedly at age 29 on Sunday. His death was announced Monday by the Charlotte Chess Center.
Charlotte Chess Center Confirms Sudden Passing
The Charlotte Chess Center, chess academy in Charlotte, North Carolina where Naroditsky was head coach, confirmed his death in a statement on social media published Monday. The announcement did not cite a cause of death, or where he had died.
The academy said, “It is with great sadness that we share the unexpected passing of Daniel Naroditsky. Daniel was a talented chess player, commentator, and educator, and a cherished member of the chess community. He was also a loving son, brother, and loyal friend to many.”
Tributes from Chess Legends
Here’s what the Indian chess great Viswanathan Anand had to say about the tragic sudden death of American Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky.
He posted, “Really shocked at the passing away of GM Daniel Naroditsky. An excellent chess commentator and educator. A genuinely nice person. A life gone too soon. My deepest condolences to his family. The chess world will miss his presence,” on social media platform X.
The 2025 US Chess Championship — underway through April 19 in St. Louis — kicked off Monday with a moment of silence for Naroditsky, according to Chess.com.
In a live stream, Nakamura had trouble keeping it together as he spoke to the chess world through Daniel, who went by the name “Danya” in his universe.
He said, "I am writing to other people in Charlotte... I am okay... I don't have a single memory that I will always have of Danya but what I will always remember more than anything else is his enthusiasm and love for the game of chess. His passion for quick time control and his love for attacking chess. That is probably what I will always remember. I will remember his passion and love for the game.”
A Stellar Chess Career Cut Short
Naroditsky had been extremely successful in his chess life. He became a Grandmaster at 17 years old in 2013. On Chess.com, he was a regular top 200 player in the world and a top 15 player in the US for Classical Chess. His prowess also translated to the faster formats, with which he was part of the Top-75 for Rapid and Top 25 in Blitz Chess.
And he had just capped his achievements. In 2023 he crossed the threshold of 2700 FIDE Blitz in rating for the first time. He is this year's US National Blitz Champion and as of August had a FIDE blitz rating of 2732 which made him the 18th best blitz player in the world and #6 in America.
Outside of competitive chess, Naroditsky developed a significant following as a content creator. His educational content and commentary was embraced by 340,000 Twitch subscribers and 482,000 YouTube followers.
It is a terrible loss for competitive chess, and the online chess world in which he had become a beloved figure as a teacher.
