Chess Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky has died at the age of 29

Daniel Naroditsky, the chess grandmaster who helped bring the centuries-old game into the digital age through livestreams and online lessons, has died aged 29.

Naroditsky is considered one of the most influential voices in modern chess after building a large following on YouTube and Twitch, where thousands of people watch his educational videos.

Before becoming a grandmaster at 18, he won the under-12 world championship – the sport’s most titles, short of world champion.

Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky competes in a tournament game in this undated photo released by the Charlotte Chess Center. The California-born prodigy, who became a grandmaster at 18 and later became a US chess streamer, died on Monday aged 29. (Kelly Cantrelli/Charlotte Chase Center via AP)

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Naroditsky, son of Jew Immigrated to America from Ukraine and Azerbaijan, also wrote strategy books as a teenager, becoming one of the youngest published chess authors at age 14., Leaving “Mastering Positional Chase”. He was born and raised in San Mateo County, California.

in the Charlotte Chess Center North Carolinawhere Naroditsky trained and coached, calling him “a talented chess player, teacher and beloved member of the chess community”.

“Let us remember Daniel for his passion and love for the game of chess and the joy and inspiration he brought to us every day,” his family said in a statement shared by the center. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Daniel Naroditsky, depicted here as a child chess prodigy, went on to become a grandmaster and the game’s leading online ambassador. The Charlotte Chase Center announced his death Monday at the age of 29. (Getty Images)

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Naroditsky had the top scalp in world chess in 2021 when he defeated Fabiano Caruana to become world number 2 and US champion.

He consistently ranked in the top 200 worldwide for traditional chess and excelled in a fast-paced style called blitz chess, maintaining a top 25 ranking throughout his adult career. Most recently, Naroditsky, known to many as Danya, won the US National Blitz Championship in August.

Naroditsky is credited with introducing the professional chess world to a new generation of online fans who discovered the game for the first time through thousands of live streams and tutorials.

Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky plays chess on a computer in this undated photo released by the Charlotte Chess Center. Naroditsky, one of the most influential American voices in chess, has died at the age of 29, the center announced Monday. (Kelly Cantrelli/Charlotte Chase Center via AP)

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Fellow grandmasters credited Naroditsky with introducing it the game to a wider audience by live streaming many of his matches and sharing live commentary on others. Thousands of people regularly tune into YouTube and the interactive streaming platform Twitch to watch Naroditsky play.

“He loved the flow, and he loved trying to be academic. The chess world is very grateful,” said Hikaru Nakamura, an American grandmaster. live stream monday

The Associated Press contributed to this report.