Daniel Naroditsky (9 November 1995 – 19 October 2025)

by André Schulz
10/20/2025 – Today, his family announced the death of Daniel Naroditsky. The talented American grandmaster was an active online player and streamer, as well as a popular commentator. He would have turned 30 on 9 November. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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Daniel (‘Danya’) Naroditsky was born on 9 November 1995 in San Mateo, California. He is the son of Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union. His father, Vladimir, is a mathematician from Ukraine, and his mother, Lena, is a pianist from Azerbaijan. He learnt to play chess from his father at the age of six and quickly progressed, achieving success in school chess tournaments.

Daniel Naroditsky won the US School Chess Championships in both 2004 and 2005.
The following year, he won the US Team Championship with the San Francisco Mechanics in the United States Chess League.

In 2007, he became the U12 World Champion.

At the age of 14, in 2010, he became the youngest author in chess history when he published his first chess book, Mastering Positional Chess. This was followed in 2012 by Mastering Complex Endgames.

Between 2011 and 2013, he competed in the US Youth Championships, qualifying for the 2014 US Championships by winning in 2013.

After graduating from Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, California, he studied at Stanford University until 2019.

In 2013, he was named a Grandmaster by FIDE at the age of 18. In recognition of his achievements, he received the Samford Chess Scholarship in 2014. The following year, he was selected for the US national team for the World Team Championship, achieving an Elo performance rating of 2701 with 4 points from 7 rounds.

Following his successes in 2011 and 2014, Naroditsky qualified for the US Championships again in 2015, 2017 and 2021.

In classical chess, Naroditsky achieved his highest Elo rating (2647) in 2017, placing him among the top 200 players in the world. In blitz chess, Naroditsky exceeded the 2700 Elo mark for the first time in 2024. At the 2024 Blitz World Championship, he narrowly missed out on the knockout final round of the top eight, finishing ninth.

In August 2025, Naroditsky's blitz Elo rating was 2732, making him one of the 20 best blitz players in the world. In the same month, he won the US Blitz Championships with 14/14.
Naroditsky was also an excellent online blitz and bullet player, at times leading the blitz rankings on Lichess and Chess.com.

Naroditsky was also active as an author and later as a streamer. In 2014, he took over an endgame column in Chess Life, which he ran until 2020. In 2022, he published a series of tactical problems in the New York Times. He was also a regular content creator on YouTube and Twitch, with a total of around 800,000 subscribers and followers. He demonstrated his deep understanding of chess as a witty and eloquent commentator at a number of chess tournaments.

Naroditsky had been living in Charlotte, North Carolina, since 2020 and was a grandmaster trainer at the Charlotte Chess Centre in his hometown.

On 20 October 2025, his family announced the death of Naroditsky. He would have turned 30 on 9 November.

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Topics: Daniel Naroditsky, obituary
André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.
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Video

60m English The Elephant Gambit

The Elephant Gambit (1.e4.e5 2.Nf3 d5!?) has never really been given the attention it deserves. It is a very useful surprise weapon. Let us list the advantages of playing this particular opening: 1) Shock value 2) It is very aggressive. Black can take over the initiative early. 3) Many tricky lines 4) Unorthodox. Black is basically taking the game to the opponent as early as move two. Not many openings do that! It's a perfect opening for young players and club players to adopt. Let Andrew Martin select a repertoire for you on this 60 mins, which, if used with discretion, will rack up the points. I am sure that you will enjoy this unusual tour of the Elephant Gambit.

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bdshahab bdshahab 10/25/2025 09:48
This was a huge weakness of this chess grandmaster! And not that the problem is absolute freedom of speech! 🤦‍♂️

I suffered a huge loss in the stock market more than five years ago, and many people still make fun of me for that substantial loss and for not selling my shares at a profit. But I didn't commit suicide! 🤭
Of course, I was accustomed to being teased since childhood, and these days I sometimes make fun of myself so that later I can make critic of people around me about their beliefs, for example. 😁
e-mars e-mars 10/23/2025 08:06
kind, respectful, honest, a rare pearl amongst brass gold false internet deities, a huge loss for Caissa
lajosarpad lajosarpad 10/23/2025 06:34
I would say that even statistics are not enough. It is the honor of a person at stake, so if someone is to be accused, then the accusation needs to be factual. Like in the case of Shevchenko, where he was caught. I do remember how was mister Kramnik accused of cheating because he went "too often" to the bathroom and his moves "too frequently" matched those of Fritz. And back then, in 2006 I stood on his side because evidence needs to be presented for allegations. But I will refrain from getting into this too deeply, at this space I offer my greatest sympathy to mister Naroditsky.
Frits Fritschy Frits Fritschy 10/22/2025 11:08
In the case of his game against Carlsen, Niemann reacted aggressively to Carlsen's accusations. In the case of Kramnik's doubts about Martinez, the latter reacted by challenging him to a match; silencing Kramnik. Not everyone is capable of doing something similar. You might blame the accuser of not taking this in account, and you should certainly not blame the victim. But you should also take in to account the circumstances: the environment of online chess.
The only possible prove for cheating you have in online chess is statistical. Normally in law statistical evidence in itself is not enough, you will need something else, like a 'smoking gun'. In earlier comments here I already mentioned the statistical probability of 32 times red in roulette - seems to be the record with a chance of 1 in 10 billion to happen. But, as people have argued, you can even beat this kind of control by just using engine assistance for one, crucial move. Which means that everyone, not just those playing a game perfectly well, but also those with unexpected results after a generally mediocre game, is a potential suspect.
That is a problem for lucky winners, but also for unlucky losers. The system itself leads to mistrust, and that mistrust can get (or already is) an essential part of online chess. That's a game I'm not willing to play.
Frits Fritschy Frits Fritschy 10/22/2025 10:28
At least I don't like the word 'solely' in your comment, Dietmar. In a way you are doing the same as what you accuse Kramnik of: making allegations without enough evidence, speculating on what exactly were cause and effect. Good journalism is not about supporting the 'common view', but getting, and sometimes waiting for until available, clear facts.
Dietmar Schimmel Dietmar Schimmel 10/22/2025 07:03
One would think an outlet like Chessbase has more to offer than a perfunctory obituary. This death was untimely and solely caused by the actions of one Wladimir Kramnik who recklessly accuses players publicly of cheating without the slightest shred of evidence. Then you have the disgusting statements of Sutovsky who lays blame at Danya's friends while ignoring Kramnik's role.
Chessbase, do better.
arzi arzi 10/22/2025 11:55
I agree with Frits Fritschy that this issue should be discussed in the near future. Maybe Chessbase will open a new thread for comments when the issue is discussed later. If the cause of this tragedy is the actions of a specific person, then even Chessbase itself should give a statement about what kind of actions the company does not support. Above all, FIDE should give its own position on such actions. Before punishing anyone, the matter should first be investigated, impartially.
Frits Fritschy Frits Fritschy 10/22/2025 11:05
This may not be the moment to discuss the things that might or might not have led to this tragic death, but I think a future discussion would be useful. As it is at least very hard to prove your innocence with online chess cheating, there should be thought about the concequences allegations may have on unstable or sensitive minds. I might recall the article on David Navara here June 30 this year.
lajosarpad lajosarpad 10/22/2025 09:41
I don't know how he passed, but I agree with Arzi here. At this moment and space I advise ourselves to remember Daniel, whose sad early passing is very tragic. We can discuss other topics at other articles if/when we are allowed to comment.
arzi arzi 10/22/2025 06:12
Mamacki:"... a certain ex world champion...accused cheating...I will just leave it there."

Let's let that accusation be for now and remember the young GM instead.
chessbibliophile chessbibliophile 10/22/2025 04:48
All of us know for a fact, Vladimir Kramnik’s baseless allegations of cheating hurt the sensitive young grandmaster terribly. A precious life has been cut short. May his soul rest in peace.
almeerkerk almeerkerk 10/22/2025 12:28
Very sad. I'm very sorry for Daniel, his family and friends. A loss for the chess community. I certainly was a big fan. For example, I loved his live commentary of Wijk aan Zee, together with co-hosts such as Fiona. Dear memories that will remain.
Mamack1 Mamack1 10/21/2025 05:31
arzi

It is all over the web that a certain ex world champion accused DN (amongst many other people) of cheating.

I will just leave it there.
depressedmonk55 depressedmonk55 10/21/2025 03:11
still can't digest this doesn't even feel real i feel so heartbroken and sad i don't think this emptiness will ever leave me
lajosarpad lajosarpad 10/21/2025 02:46
Rest in peace, Daniel. Respect.
calvinamari calvinamari 10/21/2025 08:43
Like countless others, I knew Daniel from his online content, which I considered far and away to be the best of what was available. I was always grateful for that. He did not merely instruct; he invited his audience to partake directly in his vision of the game as a reflection of order and reason itself. As such, his nature came through in his chess content, so much so that I, a mere admirer from afar, am deeply saddened by his death. In Daniel Naroditsky, the modern world was offered a rare consolation: that intellect need not be cruel, that genius may yet be kind, and that beauty, though often hidden beneath the veil of calculation, still yearns to disclose itself to those with eyes clear enough to see. The modern world, with its restless need for noise, also could not have asked for a more patient teacher, one willing to illuminate rather than merely astonish. He possessed that rare union of precision and charity, the balance of analytic brilliance with a soul hospitable to beauty. It is a strange and sorrowful grace to write of Daniel in the past tense, for his presence — his voice, his precision, his wit, his humility, his gentleness — still lingers in the mind with such immediacy that one can scarcely persuade the heart to believe he is gone. To hear him unfold the inner logic of a position with his unhurried lucidity was, one assumed, to glimpse a mind at peace with itself. To learn that this, perhaps, was not the case is tragic. Requiescat in pace.
Karsten Müller Karsten Müller 10/21/2025 08:07
Very very sad news. RIP Daniel. Your works especially on the endgame will be remember forever.
arzi arzi 10/21/2025 06:42
R.I.P young man, Daniel Naroditsky.

Leavenfish:"People are wondering...if cyber bullying had anything to do with it. Very 'intersting'."

Do you also include yourself in the phrase "people are wondering"? Very `intersting`? If you mean the phrase, `very interesting`, in connection with the death of Daniel Naroditsky, then it was perhaps not very appropriate in this message.
GuyLacourse GuyLacourse 10/21/2025 04:47
Un très bon entraîneur d'échecs et un très bon analyste.
kitefighter kitefighter 10/21/2025 03:50
Sincerest sympathy to the family and friends of Daniel Naroditsky. Though I never knew you, I loved your wonderful and educational videos. Thank you and Rest in Peace.
dkkchess dkkchess 10/21/2025 02:27
It's always sad to lose soose someone so youn and talented. In this case, it's a huge loss, especially to chess!
Leavenfish Leavenfish 10/21/2025 01:23
People are wondering...if cyber bullying had anything to do with it. Very 'intersting'.
gargadon gargadon 10/20/2025 11:36
Tragic day for the chess world. You taught me a lot, Danya. Rest in peace.
KOTLD KOTLD 10/20/2025 11:22
totally shocking news
Zagliveri_chess Zagliveri_chess 10/20/2025 10:42
Rest in peace, Daniel. Very has news.
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