Cause of death revealed for 29-year-old American chess grandmaster
- Chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky died from an accidental drug overdose, a toxicology report revealed.
- The report found methamphetamine, amphetamine, and components of kratom in his system.
- Naroditsky was found dead in his Charlotte, North Carolina home in October 2025 at the age of 29.
American chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky had multiple drugs in his system and died of an accidental overdose last year, according to multiple reports.
A newly-released toxicology report from the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday, Jan. 20 revealed Naroditsky had methamphetamine, amphetamine, 7-hydroxymitragynine and mitragynine in his system at the time of death, according to multiple outlets. The 29-year-old was found dead in his Charlotte, North Carolina home in October 2025 and police began investigating for possible suicide or drug overdose.
The North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet responded to a USA TODAY Sports request for documents related to Naroditsky’s death, as of 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
The Charlotte Chess Center, where Naroditsky had served as Chessmaster-in-Residence since 2020, announced his death on Oct. 20, 2025. The organization called the situation, ‘unexpected.’
Methamphetamine and amphetamine are addictive synthetic stimulants, while 7-hydroxymitragynine and mitragynine are psychoactive ingredients found in kratom. It’s a drug that is similar to an opioid and ‘can lead to psychotic symptoms, and psychological and physiological dependence,’ according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Russian grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik was also subsequently investigated for his conduct surrounding Naroditsky’s death, with an investigation initiated by the International Chess Federation over public comments he had made. Kramnik accused Naroditsky of cheating online last year and Naroditsky denied any wrongdoing.
But Noroditsky appeared visibly distressed in his final Twitch broadcast on Oct. 18. He discussed the controversy and its toll on him, citing comments in the chat. The video was deleted from his official Twitch account, but a copy uploaded to YouTube was reviewed by USA TODAY.
Naroditsky was a California native who played in five U.S. Championships, according to the U.S. Chess Federation, and secured titles in junior and youth competitions. He won the gold medal in the Under-12 Open section of the 2007 FIDE World Youth Championships, and he won the 2013 U.S. Junior Championship at age 17.
Naroditsky was among the top-ranked in the world in blitz chess, a type of speed chess with specific time rules, as per the International Chess Federation (FIDE). He was also known to have a large online following, thanks to his love for teaching and streaming chess on platforms like Twitch and YouTube.
Naroditsky published a book, ‘Mastering Positional Chess,’ at just 14 years old in 2010 and another, ‘Mastering Complex Endgames,’ in 2012. In addition, he served as a ‘Chess Life’ magazine columnist from 2014 to 2020 and wrote columns about the game for the New York Times.
-USA TODAY reporter Mary Walrath-Holdridge contributed to this story