The dark side of digital chess

A tragic death recently highlighted the challenges chess faces as it transforms into a digital sport.

- DEVANGSHU DATTA

On October 19, Grandmaster (GM) Daniel “Danya” Naroditsky was found dead at his home outside Charlotte in North Carolina, United States. He had been playing online and viewers were alarmed by his disjointed conversation. Two friends who checked on him found he had passed away.

Danya, the son of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, was a few weeks short of his 30th birthday. He was a former World Under-12 champion, a bestselling author, and a very popular coach and streamer with millions of social media followers. He had a rare gift: He could comment coherently while actually playing speed chess.

At classical chess with long time controls, Danya’s ranking meandered near the bottom of the World Top 100. He was much stronger at speed chess. He was the reigning US champion at blitz, and placed joint ninth in the 2024 World Blitz Championship.

There was an outpouring of grief, and anger as news of the death percolated. Every top player, with one exception, expressed grief. The anger was directed at that one individual. Danya had been cyberbullied for over a year by former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, who repeatedly accused him of cheating with zero evidence.