Daniel Naroditsky’s mother has revealed that Vladimir Kramnik’s unfounded cheating allegations took a mental toll on the American Grandmaster, who died at 29 on Sunday.
Daniel Naroditsky’s mother has broken the silence on the sudden death of the American Grandmaster, hitting out at Vladimir Kramnik for his unfounded cheating allegations against a later chess commentator and expert. One of the most popular chess content creators, Naroditsky, died on Sunday (19 October), less than a month short of his 30th birthday.
A new report has claimed that Naroditsky, who was fondly known as ‘Danya,’
could have died from suicide or drug overdose. The local police have claimed that they do not suspect any foul play or criminal activity and the exact cause of death will be confirmed after toxicology results.
Naroditsky dies by suicide or drug overdose, claims police
The news of Naroditsky’s death was made public on Monday by Charlotte Chess Center, where he worked as a trainer. The chess club did not reveal the cause of the death as it requested privacy for Naroditsky’s family.
It has now come to light through NBC News and Daily Mail that Naroditsky was found unconscious at his residence in North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County before being pronounced dead. It was the club’s founder, Peter Giannatos and GM Oleksandr Bortnyk, who found Naroditsky lying unconscious on a couch at his residence.
Former world champion Kramnik has been facing intense criticism from the chess world
for his cheating allegations against Danya, who had confessed that he was under tremendous mental pressure due to the claims.
The American GM also mentioned the issue in his final Twitch livestream last weekend. “Ever since the Kramnik stuff, I feel like if I start doing well, people assume the worst of intentions,” he said. “The issue is just the lingering effect of it.”
Naroditsky’s mother speaks on Danya’s sudden death
Speaking for the first time on the tragedy, Naroditsky’s mother, Elena Naroditsky, said that Daniel prioritised his dignity more than anything.
“There was nothing more important to Daniel than his dignity and his name as a chess player,” Elena was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
“And the ex-world champion was trying to say he’s a cheater. Daniel tried to defend himself so much. The whole world was on Daniel’s side. He played more and did more and more because he was trying to prove that he’s not what he was accused of,” she added.
Elena revealed that Daniel Naroditsky was planning a visit to his family home in the Bay Area later this week. He had also planned to visit his brother Alan to see his newborn baby and celebrate his birthday on 9 November.
“My sister just came from Philadelphia. We’re just trying to assess what to do. There are a lot of plans to do for the funeral. It’s a tragedy. He was my dearest son. He was 29,” she said.
“Daniel was such a life. He was so brilliant, so incredibly kind and loving, thoughtful, giving, inspiring,” she added.
Naroditsky became a Grandmaster at the age of 18 in 2013 and reached a peak 2732 rating in Blitz in August 2025. His biggest success, however, came as a chess expert, trainer, content creator and commentator. He had over 800,000 followers on his Twitch and YouTube channels.
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