Ankara: Chess enthusiasts and players rushed to pay tribute to 29-year-old grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky on Tuesday, following the shock news of his death the previous evening.
According to Deutsche Welle, the eloquent chess figure had issued a YouTube video after a few weeks hiatus just days before the news of his unexpected passing, with few signs of anything being amiss except perhaps for the playful title which began: “You thought I was gone!?”
The Kasparov Chess Foundation, set up by former world champion Garry Kasparov, mourned the passing of “one of the brightest stars to emerge from our programs.” It shared an image of a young Naroditsky, spotlighted since a very early age as a chess prodigy, training with Kasparov. “Danyas talent, creativity, and love for chess inspired everyone who knew him, from students to fellow competitors,” the foundation wrote.
Indian former world champion Viswanathan Anand, another legend of the game whom Naroditsky liked to impersonate on air, noted that the chess world would miss his presence. “Really shocked at the passing away of GM Daniel Naroditsky. An excellent chess commentator and educator. A genuinely nice person. A life gone too soon,” Anand wrote online.
Born in California to emigres from the former Soviet Union, his mother from present-day Ukraine and his father from Azerbaijan, Naroditsky was among the leading players of his generation. He became chess’s youngest ever published author at age 14 with “Mastering Positional Chess: Practical Lessons of a Junior World Champion.” In the same year, his performance in the US Open qualified him for the senior US chess championship.
Although Naroditsky was once seen as a potential future world champion, he never quite broke into the top tier, except in rapid, blitz, and bullet chess formats, where he excelled. Instead, Naroditsky became a prominent commentator and online voice in chess during his 20s. He regularly featured as a commentator for top tournaments, gathered almost half a million subscribers on his YouTube channel, and worked as a columnist for The New York Times. He was known for his humor and impersonations of chess celebrities, including his mentor Kasparov.
US grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, world number 3, remarked on Naroditsky’s passion for chess, both in commentary and competition. International Master Levy Rozman, known as “GothamChess” on YouTube, released a heartfelt video homage, saying “Danya could explain the game to an ant.”
The International Chess Federation FIDE acknowledged Naroditsky’s role in promoting chess content online. In his obituary, FIDE stated, “Beyond the chessboard, Naroditsky played a pivotal role in popularizing chess content online, bridging the gap between professional and amateur chess. There are not many people in the world who manage to achieve so much before turning 30. Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky will forever be among them.”