American chess champion passes away suddenly

American chess champion and online commentator Daniel Naroditsky has passed away at the age of 29. His family described the death as “sudden,” without providing a cause, according to the BBC, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

Naroditsky was a talented player, educator, and commentator, well-known for his YouTube channel with nearly 500,000 subscribers and his Twitch streams followed by 340,000 fans. He played a major role in popularizing online chess content.

He started playing chess at the age of 6, won the World Youth Chess Championship Under 12 in 2007, and became a U.S. Grandmaster in 2013. Naroditsky graduated from Stanford University and worked as a chess coach in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Many colleagues and fans described him as an inspiration, a chess historian, and someone who made the game fun and accessible to everyone.