A U.S. chess grandmaster has died unexpectedly aged 29 after being accused of cheating by a Russian rival as part of what he described as ‘sustained, evil attempt to destroy my life’.
The passing of Daniel Naroditsky was announced by his club, the Charlotte Chess Centre, on Monday, with a cause of death yet to be announced.
Naroditsky achieved his grandmaster title when he was just 18 years old in 2013. He competed in five U.S Championships and was also a popular online chess content creator and commentator.
In the final year of his life, he was tormented by repeated accusations of cheating in online games by Russian chess grandmaster Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik, 50.
Some 11 months ago, Naroditsky described the negative toil Kramnik’s allegations had taken, saying that he felt the rival was trying to ‘destroy my life’ and inflict ’emotional and physical harm’.
‘I thought he was going to put out three or four crazy, delusional videos, and then he would move to the next target and eventually the chess world would wake the hell up,’ Naroditsky said in an episode of the C-Squared podcast hosted by grandmasters Fabiano Caruana and Cristian Chirila.
‘Unfortunately, the opposite happened, and it became apparent to me that this is no longer a case of me being next in line, but a sustained, evil and absolutely unhinged attempt to destroy my life.
‘I’m tired of mincing words, he is trying to ruin my life, trying to inflict emotional harm, physical harm on me, he knows exactly what he’s doing and this is one of the most wicked people I have ever dealt with.’
Chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky has unexpectedly died at the age of 29
Vladimir Kramnik attends the opening press conference during the World Chess Tournament on March 9, 2018 in Berlin, Germany
Naroditsky, a California native and Stanford graduate who won junior and youth tournaments as a child, published a book titled ‘Mastering Positional Chess’ when he was just 14 in 2010
Kramnik, who was world champion from 2000 to 2007, has previously accused other players of cheating in online games, with the use of ‘chess engines’ – computer programmes that generate moves regarded as the strongest in a given scenario.
He accused the five-time U.S. chess champion Hikaru Nakamura of cheating, after his 46-game no-loss streak via online gaming platform Chess.com, saying in a blog post on the site that such a feat was statistically improbable.
In the livestream understood to be Naroditsky’s last, he said: ‘Unfortunately, ever since the Kramnik stuff, I feel like if I start doing well, people assume the worst of intentions.’
‘The issue is the lingering effect of it,’ he told his audience.
Naroditsky, a California native and Stanford graduate who won junior and youth tournaments as a child, published a book titled ‘Mastering Positional Chess’ when he was just 14 in 2010.
His videos helped him grow his online audience to 340,000 followers on Twitch and just short of 500,000 on YouTube.
His club said in a statement on behalf of his family: ‘It is with great sadness that we share the unexpected passing of Daniel Naroditsky.
‘Daniel was a talented chess player, educator, and cherished member of the chess community, admired and respected by fans and players around the world.’
Chess champion Daniel Naroditsky meets Andrew Brown and Huston Street of the Oakland Athletics in the clubhouse before the game against the Minnesota Twins at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California on April 23, 2008
Chess.com found that accusations lodged by Kramnik about Hikaru Nakamura ‘lack statistical merit’
U.S. chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura is pictured during the Norway Chess 2024 at Finansparken in Stavanger, Norway on May 27, 2024
Nakamura, who is ranked No.1 in America, was among those to pay tribute to Naroditsky.
He said: ‘I’m devastated. This is a massive loss for the world of chess.’
In a statement on social media, the International Chess Federation said:
‘Daniel Naroditsky passed away. He was a talented chess player, commentator, and educator. FIDE extends its deepest condolences to Daniel’s family and loved ones.’
Chess.com, the world’s most popular chess site, has previously closed Kramnik’s blog and muted his account, and said it had met with the Russian grandmaster ‘numerous times’.
‘Our team carefully investigated many dozens of players about which GM Kramnik raised suspicions. In the vast majority of cases, we found his accusations baseless,’ a statement said.
The site added that Kramnik’s previous accusations against Nakamura ‘lack statistical merit’.
Before he died, Naroditsky attempted to defend his reputation multiple times to the online chess community.
Fans, who referred to him as ‘Danya’, mourned his death on social media.
Antonio Radić, a Croatian YouTuber and chess player, said:
‘Unimaginable tragedy. A great person, chess player and chess history connoisseur. I could listen do Danya for hours just effortlessly bending the English language to his will – as a fellow content creator, I admired it greatly. R.I.P.’
American grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann wrote: ‘I am heartbroken by Danya’s passing. We both grew up in the Bay Area, and I looked up to him from a young age.
‘I vividly remember our first blitz games when I was nine, he was kind and generous with his advice afterward.
‘I credit a large part of my improvement to those battles. Danya’s kindness, wisdom, and love for the game left a lasting mark on me.’
