RIP TO GM DANIEL NARODITSKY

I am very sad to announce that GM Daniel Naroditsky, popularly known as Danya, has suddenly passed away at the age of 29 on 19th October, 2025. 

His account on chess.com: @DanielNaroditsky

What Danya has written on his chess.com profile: 

GM Daniel Naroditsky was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He currently resides in Charlotte, NC, where he is resident GM at the Charlotte Chess Center, as well as a full-time chess coach and Twitch streamer. He learned chess at six years old from his father and brother, and was hooked from day one! His greatest accomplishment in his early chess career was to win the gold medal in the 2007 under-12 World Youth Chess Championship in Antalya, Turkey. Four years later, he became an IM, and in 2013, at the Benasque Open in Spain, He earned his final GM norm and pushed his FIDE rating over 2500, fulfilling his dream. He crossed 2600 a year later, and his current FIDE rating is 2621. Upon graduating from Stanford in June 2019, he moved to Charlotte, where his passion for teaching, content creation, and chess improvement have only grown! 

How the world reacts at his death: 

Hikaru Nakamura: Wrote on X that it was a "massive loss for the world of chess".

Viswanathan Anand: Posted on X regarding the "passing away of GM Daniel Naroditsky," adding "My deepest condolences to his family. The chess world will miss his presence".

Judit Polgár: Expressed she had "no words" and offered condolences.

Benjamin Bok: A friend of Naroditsky, shared on X that it was a privilege to have played and worked with him.

Vidit Gujrathi: Stated it was "absolutely shocking" and offered "deepest condolences".

Srinath Narayanan: Posted on X, "Lost for words. So young, so brilliant. The word 'tragic' doesn't even begin to describe the emotion felt".