The sad news was confirmed by the Charlotte Chess Center (USA) - where he is working in the early morning of October 21 (Vietnam time).
Announcement from the center: Daniel Naroditsky is an outstanding talent, a devoted teacher and a deeply beloved figure in the community. We hope everyone will respect the privacy of his family at this time of loss."
The World Chess Federation (FIDE) also expressed its condolences, calling Naroditsky a rare player, commentator and inspirational person.
Born in 1995 in California, Naroditsky won the U12 World Cup in 2007 and was crowned grandmaster at the age of 18. He has repeatedly affirmed his class in the fast and lightning chess genres, notably the victory over Fabiano Caruana at the 2021 US Championship, along with the 2025 US lightning chess championship with an all-win record.
With Elo and Clapping Chess reaching 2705 points in October 2025, Naroditsky was ranked by hikaru Nakamura as one of the world's top 4 players in the Blitz 1+0 format, along with Magnus Carlsen and Alireza Firouzja.
In addition to his playing career, Naroditsky is also a famous writer and commentator, author of many in-depth books such as Mastering Positional Chess. His YouTube and Twitch channels have hundreds of thousands of followers, contributing to bringing chess closer to global youth.
Naroditsky's cause of death has not yet been released. The family and FIDE called on the community to remember his contributions rather than speculate. The passing of this " gentle and dedicated general" leaves a big gap in the international chess world.
