American chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky has died unexpectedly at the age of 29, his chess club announced. Naroditsky was regarded as one of the most prominent chess players in the United States.
"Daniel was a talented chess player, commentator, and teacher, and a valued member of the entire chess community," his family and chess club said in a joint statement on Tuesday. "Let us remember Daniel for his passion for chess and for the joy and inspiration he brought to all of us every day."
Tributes have poured in from across the chess world. World number two Hikaru Nakamura said on X: "I am devastated. This is a huge loss to the chess world."
Born in California in 1995, Naroditsky began playing chess at the age of six and, by nine, was already ranked number one in the United States. A former World Junior Champion, he earned the grandmaster title in 2013, the highest honour in chess.
Beyond competitive play, Naroditsky was a popular online educator and streamer, sharing insights and tutorials on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube, where he had nearly 500,000 subscribers.
No details have yet been released regarding the cause of death.
