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Daniel Naroditsky<\/strong>, who rose to fame as a US chess grandmaster and popular YouTube chess commentator, has died aged 29, his family confirmed.<\/p>\n Naroditsky\u2019s family announced his \u201cunexpected\u201d death in a statement released by the Charlotte Chess Center on Monday, October 20.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is with great sadness that we share the unexpected passing of Daniel Naroditsky,\u201d the statement said, adding that Naroditsky was a \u201ccherished member of the chess community, admired and respected by fans and players around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Naroditsky was best known for his chess YouTube channel, which has nearly 500,000 subscribers. Meanwhile, his Twitch account has garnered up to 340,000 followers.<\/p>\n His social media channels featured video tutorials and livestreams of him playing against competitors. Naroditsky\u2019s videos inspired hundreds of thousands of people across the world to play the game, and sparked interest in people who may not have been interested otherwise.<\/p>\n Antoni Porowski Launches Carnation Collab, Shares Holiday Hosting Tips and Teases \u2018Queer Eye\u2019 Final Season<\/a><\/p>\n Naroditsky had been playing chess from a young age, and he won the Under 12 world championship before he spent his teenage years writing chess strategy books and continuing to climb the highest ranks in the game. He became a grandmaster by the time he was 18, which is the highest title in chess aside from World Chess Champion.<\/p>\n The California native was ranked in the top 200 worldwide for traditional chess. His talents didn\u2019t stop at chess though, as he also excelled in the fast-paced style called blitz chess. In fact, Naroditsky maintained a top 25 ranking in blitz chess throughout his adult career.<\/p>\n Naroditsky, who was also known as Danya, recently won the U.S. National Blitz Championship in August.<\/p>\n His death came just days after Naroditsky made his return to his YouTube channel on October 17 following a hiatus. He uploaded a video titled \u201cYou Thought I Was Gone!?\u201d<\/a>, in which he told viewers that he was \u201cback, better than ever.\u201d He continued the video by talking viewers through his moves as he played a game of live chess on his computer from the comfort of his home studio.<\/p>\n Following his death, many chess masters reflected on Naroditsky\u2019s impressive legacy. \u201cHe loved streaming, and he loved trying to be educational. The chess world is very grateful,\u201d Hikaru Nakamura<\/strong>, an American grandmaster, said on a livestream Monday, according to NPR<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n Vera Wang, Christian Siriano Predict What Taylor Swift\u2019s Wedding Dress Might Look Like<\/a><\/p>\n Meanwhile, Dutch chess grandmaster Benjamin Bok<\/strong> opened up about his lifelong friendship with Naroditsky. The two met when they competed in the Under 12 world championship in 2007.<\/p>\n \u201cI still can\u2019t believe it and don\u2019t want to believe it,\u201d Bok wrote via X<\/a>. \u201cIt was always a privilege to play, train, and commentate with Danya, but above all, to call him my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n