Chess Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky’s Cause of Death Revealed

A cause of death has been determined for chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, who passed away suddenly in October of 2025.

According to TMZ, Naroditsky died of accidental poisoning after ingesting a drug cocktail that included methamphetamine. The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner told the outlet that the former chess prodigy had a combination of methamphetamine and amphetamine in his system when he died. He also reportedly had mitragynine in his system, a drug known for its opioid-like effects.

Naroditsky was found dead in his North Carolina home by fellow grandmaster Oleksandr Bortnyk after he didn’t hear from him, according to The New York Post. He was 29 at the time of his death. At the time, authorities said they were investigating a potential suicide or overdose.

Naroditsky was well-known in the competitive chess world as a young prodigy, getting his start in 2007, becoming the world champion in the Boys Under 12 division at the World Youth Chess Championship. According to TIME, he became the youngest published chess author at just 14, releasing a book on positional play.

He went on to earn the title of grandmaster at just 17 years old. Naroditsky later graduated from Stanford University before going on to teach students full-time at the Charlotte Chess Center. He also built a vast social media following on YouTube and Twitch, where he would provide expert analysis on high-level chess matches.

In addition to his social media channels, Naroditsky served as a commentator for Chess.com and wrote a chess column for The New York Times.