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The mother of Daniel Naroditsky, the former grandmaster chess player who died earlier this week, has broken her silence on her son’s death and said that he had been tormented by online accusations that he and others were using computer “chess engines” to cheat.
Naroditsky, who was considered one of the most influential voices in modern chess after building a major following on YouTube and Twitch, was found dead on Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
He was found on his couch by fellow grandmaster Oleksandr Bortnyk, who went to check on him after losing contact, according to the Daily Mail.
U.S. chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky appears during a recent online chess livestream. Naroditsky was found dead Sunday in Charlotte, N.C., as police await toxicology results and the International Chess Federation investigates his Russian rival over harassment claims. (YouTube screenshot)
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“There was nothing more important to Daniel than his dignity and his name as a chess player,” Naroditsky’s mother, Elena Naroditsky, said. “The ex-world champion was trying to say he’s a cheater.”
Russian grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik, who held the world title for several years in the early 2000s, began accusing Naroditsky of cheating in online chess last October. He continued to share his suspicions on social media over the past year without providing substantial evidence.
Naroditsky, who at 18 became a grandmaster, the highest title in chess aside from world chess champion, had denied the cheating allegations and accused Kramnik of trying to ruin his life.
“Daniel tried to defend himself so much. The whole world was on Daniel’s side,” Naroditsky’s mother said. “He played more and did more and more because he was trying to prove that he’s not what he was accused of.”
Meanwhile, Arkady Dvorkovich, the President of FIDE, the International Chess Federation, referred Kramnik’s statements to the ethics and disciplinary commission for review, promising “appropriate action” if harassment or bullying were found.
In a new interview with Russian broadcaster Match TV, Kramnik said he intends to file a lawsuit against FIDE, claiming the organization misrepresented his remarks about Naroditsky following the American player’s death.
“I did not say anything bad about him, and I demand to confirm these ‘accusations’ of FIDE … with an actual quote. Otherwise, it may become the subject of legal proceedings,” Kramnik said, per excerpts of the interview he posted to his X account.
Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky competes in a tournament game in this undated photo released by Charlotte Chess Center. The California-born prodigy, who became a grandmaster at 18 and later a top U.S. chess streamer, died Monday at 29. (Kelly Cantrelli/Charlotte Chess Center via AP)
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Police told the Daily Mail they are awaiting toxicology results to determine what was in Naroditsky’s system. Investigators said there were no signs of foul play and that suicide or accidental overdose are among the possibilities being examined.
“It’s a tragedy. He was my dearest son. He was 29,” Naroditsky’s mother said. “Daniel was such a life. He was so brilliant, so incredibly kind and loving, thoughtful, giving, inspiring.”
Naroditsky was a chess prodigy-turned-grandmaster who helped bring the centuries-old game into the digital age through livestreams and online lessons, He won the Under-12 world championship before becoming a grandmaster at 18 — the game’s highest title short of world champion.
Fellow grandmaster Bortnyk later described in a Twitch livestream that he and a friend entered the apartment after noticing Naroditsky’s television was still on, and that he discovered his friend’s lifeless body.
Russian chess grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik concentrates during his game against U.S. grandmaster Levon Aronian during the Zurich Chess Challenge 2015 Round 3 in Zurich, Switzerland, Feb. 16, 2015. The International Chess Federation has opened an ethics probe into Kramnik’s conduct after he repeatedly accused U.S. grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky of cheating before Naroditsky’s death. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)
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It came after Naroditsky’s final live stream on Friday in which he reurned after what he said was a “creative break.”
“You thought I was gone forever, but little do you know I’m back and better than ever.”
Meanwhile, Arkady Dvorkovich, the President of FIDE, the International Chess Federation, referred Kramnik’s statements to the ethics and disciplinary commission for review, promising “appropriate action” if harassment or bullying is found.
It comes as several grandmasters, including Hikaru Nakamura and Nihal Sarin, have called out Kramnik’s conduct, saying the Russian pro had harassed Naroditsky and tried to destroy his reputation.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.