American chess grandmaster Daniel “Danya” Naroditsky’s cause of death has been attributed to a lethal drug cocktail, just three months after the prodigy died suddenly at age 29.
The World Chess Champion, who died on Oct. 20, succumbed to a lethal drug cocktail of methamphetamine and amphetamine, as well as mitragynine, which has opioid-like effects, the North Caroline Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to TMZ on Tuesday.
A fixture in global rankings for traditional chess, Naroditsky as an adult was regularly amongst the top 25 for blitz chess. He died less than three months after winning the U.S. Open National Blitz Championship in early August 2025.
Naroditsky’s family announced his “unexpected passing” in a statement shared by the Charlotte Chess Center, which remembered its late trainee and coach as “a talented chess player, educator, and beloved member of the chess community.”
Naroditsky’s prowess in the sport extended to providing commentary on Chess.com and penning a New York Times chess column.
Days after Naroditsky died, the International Chess Federation announced it had launched a probe into the conduct of his rival, Russian chess grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik, and his “public statements” about the late phenom prior to his death. Kramnik had accused Naroditsky of cheating in online matches.
Naroditsky denied the allegations in his since-deleted final Twitch stream, where he reportedly “appeared visibly distressed.”
“Human life and dignity are fundamental values shared by all of us. While we hold deep respect and love for the game of chess that unites our community, these values must always come first,” FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said at the time. “In recent times, public debate within the chess world has too often moved beyond the boundaries of acceptable, harming not only people’s reputation but their very well-being.”
