Chess great Daniel Naroditsky, who gained fame by offering online lessons and livestreams, has passed away at the age of 29, according to Fox News. The former World Junior Champion's family said that his death was "unexpected" and that no cause of death has been released to date.
The announcement came from his family on Oct. 20 that Naroditsky had died. The Charlotte Chess Center, where Naroditsky worked as an instructor, shared the statement from his family on X, formerly Twitter.
"The Naroditsky family shares the sad news of Daniel’s unexpected passing. Daniel was a talented chess player, educator, and beloved member of the chess community. We ask for privacy as the family grieves," the organization posted.
The Naroditsky family shares the sad news of Daniel’s unexpected passing. Daniel was a talented chess player, educator, and beloved member of the chess community. We ask for privacy as the family grieves. pic.twitter.com/otNdUxDKtL
— Charlotte Chess Center (@CLTchesscenter) October 20, 2025
The statement from Naroditsky's family expressed the depth of their grief and briefly eulogized him. "It is with great sadness that we share the unexpected passing of Daniel Naroditsky," the family wrote.
"Daniel was a talented chess player, commentator, and educator, and a cherished member of the chess community, admired and respected by fans and players around the world. He was also a loving son and brother, and a loyal friend to many," his family added.
The family then asked for privacy to grieve. Naroditsky, whose parents are Jewish immigrants from Azerbaijan and Ukraine, grew up in San Mateo County, California. He was a child chess prodigy, winning the Under-12 World Championship before eventually earning the title of Grandmaster at the age of 18.
At just 14 years old, Naroditsky penned Mastering Positional Chess, a book of game strategies, and was the youngest person to author such a chess manual. The young man would go on to bring chess into the online sphere and amassed a sizeable following on YouTube and Twitch with his popular livestreams.
His most recent accolades include clinching the top spot at the U.S. National Blitz Championship in August. He also notched a notable win in 2021 when he bested the World No. 2 and then-reigning U.S. Champion Fabiano Caruana.
According to People, Naroditsky's death came after the chess great was away from his streaming channels for a bit. In his final stream before his death, the chess great explained the reason for the hiatus and promised more content would be coming.
"You thought I was gone forever, but little do you know, I'm actually back and better than ever. I know that the episodes have been few and far between," Naroditsky told his more than half a million viewers.
"I've been sort of taking a kind of creative break, deciding future avenues of content. I won't delve too much into it now because I know everybody's excited for some chess games," he added.
Naroditsky didn't open up about the nature of the struggles he was having, but he did "like" several comments on the stream that encouraged him. One commenter wrote, "Look after yourself, mate, there is so much love for you out in the world!"
While there is still much unknown about Naroditsky's demise, the last stream perhaps gives a glimpse of what his frame of mind was. Regardless of the manner of his death, Naroditsky's fans and the entire chess world will grieve such a massive loss.
