Daniel Naroditsky, a chess grandmaster who grew up in the Bay Area, has died at the age of 29, according to a North Carolina-based chess center where he worked.
Naroditsky became the youngest chess player to be California K-12 champion, a title he won as a fifth-grader in 2007, and became a grandmaster — the highest title given to competitors by the International Chess Federation — before his senior year of high school.
After graduating from Stanford University, he went to work at the Charlotte Chess Center, coaching the area’s top junior players, and also was a popular streamer on websites like YouTube, where he had nearly 500,000 followers, and Twitch, where he had about 340,000 followers.
The Charlotte Chess Center on Monday announced the “unexpected passing” of Naroditsky.
“Daniel was a talented chess player, commentator, and educator, and a cherished member of the chess community, admired and respected by fans and players around the world,” the center’s statement said. “He was also a loving son and brother, and a loyal friend to many.”
The cause of Naroditsky’s death has not been released.
