Daniel Naroditsky dead: American chess superstar was 29

Alan Kirshner, a youth chess tournament organizer and political science professor, was evasive for years when asked if he had ever seen a chess “prodigy.”

That changed when he first saw San Mateo’s Daniel Naroditsky, then a freshman, in action.

“It showed in the way he focused and was focused, but he was relaxed at the same time,” said Kirshner, a retired political science and history professor from Ohlone College in Fremont. “I ran to his father, grabbed him by the arm and said, ‘He’s a miracle.’”

The youngster proved prophetic for Kirshner. He eventually reached the level of chess grandmaster – the highest possible rank – while writing a series of strategy books and ultimately reaching out to a new generation of chess enthusiasts via social media.

Naroditsky’s star dimmed unexpectedly Monday when his death was announced by the Charlotte Chess Center, where the 29-year-old had worked as a coach.

“Let us remember Daniel for his passion and love for the game of chess, and for the joy and inspiration he brought to us every day,” the North Carolina center said on social media.

The center added: “Daniel was a talented chess player, commentator and educator and a valued member of the chess community, admired and respected by fans and players around the world. He was also a loving son and brother, and a loyal friend to many.”

No cause of death was given by the center and funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Naroditsky was born in San Mateo and competed throughout the Bay Area as a youth.

Although he impressed Kirshner as a first-grader, it was four years later that Naroditsky won the 32nd annual CalChess Scholastic high school competition as a fifth-grader. The tournament is the equivalent of the Northern California Championships.

Kirshner wrote in a recap of the event that Naroditsky was the youngest champion of this high school competition in the tournament’s history.

Fortunately for Naroditsky’s competitors, he was too young to represent Northern California in the Denker Tournament of State High School Champions later that year, reserved for high school students only.

Naroditsky, however, had more ambitious goals.

In December, he employed a chess tactic known as the “Sicilian Defense” to defeat Ivan Bukavshin of Russia during the final round of a two-hour match for the World Junior Under-12 Chess Championship in Antalya, Turkey.

The following year, Naroditsky enrolled in the sixth grade at Crystal Springs Uplands School in Belmont, California, and attended school there for two years.

After a year off, he re-enrolled at the local high school in 10th grade in 2011.

The school released a 2011 update from Naroditsky’s brotherAlan, who pointed out that Daniel had won the international master title, the second highest honor in the world of chess.

A year earlier, 14-year-old Naroditsky had published his first chess strategy book: “Mastering positional failures.” In 2015, he added a second book, “Mastering Complex Endgames: Practical Lessons on Critical Ideas and Plans.”

Naroditsky had a banner 2013, including winning the United States Junior Chess Championship. in Junewhile winning the coveted title grandmaster in July.

In 2019, Naroditsky graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in history.

Shortly after graduating he began publishing chess strategy videos on YouTube and other platforms, including Twitch. He has gained 500,000 subscribers on YouTube.

His latest hour-long video, posted on Friday, was titled: “You thought I was gone! The return of Speedrun! »

“I kind of took a kind of creative break, deciding on future content avenues,” Naroditsky said. “So I’m not going to dwell on it too much right now because I know everyone is excited about a game of chess.”

Kelly Sortino, head of the Crystal Springs school, said the campus was “deeply saddened by this death.”

“During his years at Crystal, Daniel was known not only for his extraordinary intelligence and mastery of chess, but also for his warmth, humility and kindness,” Sortino wrote in an emailed statement. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones, and to all those who were inspired by his talent and character. His loss is deeply felt within the Crystal community.”