Chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky’s cause of death has been revealed following his shocking death last year at age 29.
Per TMZ, the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the beloved chess grandmaster died from a fatal drug overdose. An autopsy found that Naroditsky had methamphetamine, amphetamine, and mitragynine in his system at the time of his death. When his death was confirmed in October last year, the cause of death was not revealed.
Naroditsky, a beloved figure in the online chess community who was popular on both Twitch and YouTube, was found unresponsive in Charlotte, North Carolina. He worked at the Charlotte Chess Center, which at the time announced his “unexpected passing” in a statement shared by his family.
"It is with great sadness that we share the unexpected passing of Daniel Naroditsky,” the statement read. “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. He was also a loving son and brother, and a loyal friend to many.”
He was considered a child prodigy in the chess world, earning the championship in the Boys Under 12 division at the World Youth Chess Championship in 2007. He earned his grandmaster title when he was 17. When he graduated from Stanford University in 2019, he dedicated himself to chess full-time, teaching students at the Charlotte Chess Center. Additionally, he was a longtime commentator for Chess.com and wrote a column for The New York Times.
Following the news, the Chess Federation announced an investigation into chess grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik's alleged bullying of Naroditsky, because Kramnik had repeatedly accused Naroditsky of cheating in online games. The very next day, Kramnik wrote in a post on X that he had "contacted the Charlotte police Department and asked them to investigate the death of Daniel, providing them some additional info." He expressed hope that "[the] real truth about the curcumstances [sic] and cause of this tradegy [sic] will be revealed, despite all attempts to hide it."