A throwback video of Daniel Naroditsky beating 56-year-old Ukrainian grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk has emerged on social media following American GM's (Naroditsky) sudden demise on Monday, October 20. The video is from the 2024 World Blitz Championship
Ivanchuk was in a completely winning position but lost on time with only one second left on the clock. While the Russian was all emotional followign the heartbreaking loss Naroditsky, very respectfully, remained seated in his place and did not leave the board. He was close to qualify for the knockouts phase in that tournament but ended up finishing ninth.
Cause of Daniel Naroditsky death
The Charlotte Chess Center, a chess academy in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Naroditsky served as a head coach, announced his death in a statement on social media Monday. The announcement did not include a cause of death or say where he died.
“It is with great sadness that we share the unexpected passing of Daniel Naroditsky. Daniel was a talented chess player, commentator, and educator, and a cherished member of the chess community. He was also a loving son, brother, and loyal friend to many,” the Charlotte Chess Center said in a statement attributed to Naroditsky’s family.
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.
Naroditsky, who was three weeks away from turning 30, has long been known as one of United States' most talented players. He achieved his grandmaster title at the age of 18 in 2013, and placed fifth among the highest-ranked juniors in 2015.
His last FIDE-rating is 2619, which places him among the top 150 in the world, or the 17th highest-ranked in the United States. He has a peak rating of 2647 from 2017.
