Authorities are investigating the death of Daniel Naroditsky death, the 29-year-old U.S. chess grandmaster, considering whether it may have been a suicide or drug overdose. Police were called to Naroditsky’s home in the southern suburbs of Charlotte at 7:11 p.m. Sunday, where he was found unresponsive on a couch by the founder of his chess club. He was later pronounced dead by medics.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is treating the incident as a sudden or natural death but has the homicide unit actively investigating. The circumstances surrounding his passing remain unclear.
Naroditsky, who became a grandmaster at just 18, had been under intense scrutiny in recent months after repeated accusations of cheating in online games by former world champion Vladimir Kramnik. Naroditsky consistently denied the allegations and maintained his innocence, while his mother said the attacks had taken a toll on his mental health. “There was nothing more important to Daniel than his dignity and his name as a chess player. And the ex-world champion was trying to say he’s a cheater,” Elena Naroditsky told the Mail Online.
The chess community has mourned the loss of the prodigy, with his mother calling it “a tragedy” and praising his brilliance and generosity. Meanwhile, the sport’s international governing body is reportedly considering disciplinary action against Kramnik for pushing unproven cheating allegations.
The investigation into Naroditsky’s death remains ongoing, with authorities seeking to determine the exact cause and circumstances of this devastating loss to the chess world.
