ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated:

Jewish-American chessmaster Daniel Naroditsky passed away unexpectedly at the age of 29, his club announced Monday. 

Naroditsky was a grandmaster from the Charlotte Chess Center, an American award-winning chess club. He was one of the top-ranked players in the country, and has amassed a large following. 

The cause of Naroditsky’s death, which occurred just two weeks before his 30th birthday, remains unclear.

'It is with great sadness that we share the unexpected passing of Daniel Naroditsky. Daniel was a talented chess player, educator, and cherished member of the chess community, admired and respected by fans and players around the world,” the club said in a statement on behalf of the family.

“He was also a loving son, brother, and loyal friend. We ask for privacy for Daniel’s family during this extremely difficult time. Let us remember Daniel for his passion and love for the game of chess, and for the joy and inspiration he brought to us all every day.”

Chess champion Daniel Naroditsky meets Andrew Brown and Huston Street of the Oakland Athletics in the clubhouse before the game against the Minnesota Twins at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California on April 23, 2008.
Chess champion Daniel Naroditsky meets Andrew Brown and Huston Street of the Oakland Athletics in the clubhouse before the game against the Minnesota Twins at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California on April 23, 2008. (credit: Michael Zagaris/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

The International Chess Federation announced the grandmaster’s death in a social media post. “Daniel Naroditsky passed away. He was a talented chess player, commentator, and educator. FIDE extends its deepest condolences to Daniel’s family and loved ones,” the post read.

A Stanford University graduate from California, Naroditsky gained his grandmaster title at 18 years old in 2013, according to a report by The Daily Mail. 

He participated in five US championships and won junior and youth tournaments, including the World Youth Championship. 

Naroditsky was also a popular online chess content creator, with 340,000 followers on gaming livestreaming platform, Twitch and almost 500,000 on YouTube. 

Fellow chessmasters pay tribute

Daniel was close to many streamers in the chess world, with numerous of them paying tribute to the chess master.

American chess international master Levy Rozman, also known as Gotham Chess, said, “I’ve been sitting here numb for the past hour staring at this news. The world lost a brilliant man today. May his memory live on forever and may we always cherish his contributions to our beautiful game.”

“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,” wrote the International Chess Foundation in his obituary.