Chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky dies at age 29
The Charlotte Chess Center announced the death of the former world junior champion.
- Chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky died of an accidental drug overdose, a toxicology report has revealed.
- The report found methamphetamine, amphetamine and kratom in his system.
- Naroditsky was found dead in his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, in October 2025 at the age of 29.
American chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky had multiple drugs in his system and died of an accidental overdose last year, according to multiple reports.
A newly released toxicology report from the North Carolina State Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday, January 20, revealed that Naroditsky had methamphetamine, amphetamine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, and mitragynine in his system at the time of his death, according to multiple media outlets. The 29-year-old man was found dead in his Charlotte, North Carolina, home in October 2025, leading police to investigate the death as a possible suicide or drug overdose.
The North Carolina State Medical Examiner’s Office had not yet responded to USA TODAY Sports’ request for documents related to Naroditsky’s death as of 4pm ET on Tuesday, January 20th.
The Charlotte Chess Center, where Mr. Naroditsky had been Chess Master in Residence since 2020, announced his death on October 20, 2025. The group called the situation “unexpected.”
Methamphetamine and amphetamine are addictive synthetic stimulants, and 7-hydroxymitragynine and mitragynine are psychoactive ingredients.s Found in Kratom. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, it is a drug similar to opioids that “may cause psychotic symptoms and psychological and physiological dependence.”
Subsequently, Russian grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik was also investigated for his actions in connection with Naroditsky’s death, and an investigation was launched by the International Chess Federation over public comments he made. Kramnik accused Naroditsky of online fraud last year, but Naroditsky denied any wrongdoing.
However, Noroditsky appeared visibly distressed during his last Twitch broadcast on October 18th. Citing comments in the chat, he spoke about the controversy and the damage it caused him. The video was removed from his official Twitch account, but a copy uploaded to YouTube was reviewed by USA TODAY.
According to the United States Chess Federation, Naroditsky, a California native, has competed in five U.S. championships and won titles in junior and youth competitions. He won gold in the 2007 FIDE World Youth Championships in the 12-and-under open division and won the U.S. Junior Championship in 2013 at age 17.
Naroditsky was one of the world’s top-ranked players in blitz chess, a type of speed chess with specific time rules, according to the International Chess Federation (FIDE). He was also known to have a large following online, as he loved teaching and streaming chess on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube.
Naroditsky published a book called “Mastering Positional Chess” in 2010 at just 14 years old, and another book “Mastering Complex Endgames” in 2012. Additionally, he was a columnist for Chess Life magazine from 2014 to 2020 and wrote a column about the game for the New York Times.
-USA TODAY reporter Mary Walrus Holdridge contributed to this article
