'It’s Hard To Believe That...': R Praggnanandhaa Makes Emotional Post After Hearing News About American GM Daniel Naroditsky's Sudden Demise

Indian chess Grand Master R Praggnanandhaa offered condolence to family and loved ones of American Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky following his sudden demise. Taking to X (formerly Twitter) he posted a message saying, I'm deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Danya Every time I logged into Chess.com, I would see his challenge for a game, It’s hard to believe that I won’t see it anymore. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones."

The news was announced on Monday via the X account of the Charlotte Chess Center, which 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."

What was Daniel Naroditsky's Cause Of Death?

While the reason behind Daniel Naroditsky's death is yet to be be known, Russian GM Vladimir Kramnik raised a lot of questions around Naroditsky's death.

In one post which he has pinned on his X profile, Kramnik has suggested that could be foul play behind Naroditsky's death. “What exactly happened? Because I received this two days ago from a friend of mine chess fan, and at least did what I could to warn people to do something urgently in my posts,” he wrote. “To those who prefer blaming and shaming instead of helping. Awfull (sic) tradegy, hope properly investigated.”

Who was Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky?

Naroditsky became a Grandmaster in 2013 at the age of 18 and was consistently ranked among the world's top 200 players and the US top 15 in classical chess. He was also ranked in the world's top 75 in Rapid and top 25 in Blitz. In 2024, he surpassed a 2700 FIDE Blitz rating for the first time.

Earlier this year, Naroditsky won the US National Blitz Championship. As of August 2025, he held a FIDE Blitz rating of 2732, placing him 18th in the world and sixth in the United States.

In recent years, Naroditsky built a large online following, creating content on Twitch and YouTube, with 340,000 and 482,000 subscribers respectively, thanks to his commentary and educational videos.