Disturbing Final Moments of Chess Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky

Friends of chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky were deeply concerned after witnessing his troubling final livestream. They attempted to intervene, urging him to end the stream and get some rest.

Peter Giannatos and Grandmaster Oleksandr Bortnik relayed their worries, noting that the 29-year-old chess star faced an emotional breakdown on October 17, just two days prior to his death, during a live chess session on Twitch.

“Daniel, please stop streaming,” Giannatos said, anxiously trying to coax his visibly shaken friend off-camera.

During the stream, Naroditsky vocalized his distress regarding unfounded claims that he was a fraud, yet he resisted, stating he needed to play at least until his next defeat. He assured his viewers he would wrap things up by 2 a.m.

“If you don’t stop, I’ll have to unplug the whole thing,” Giannatos warned him off-screen.

Naroditsky seemed taken aback by the suggestion, showing impatience by resting his head in his hands and glancing around. Giannatos continued to insist that he needed to wrap up for the night.

“Just let me play for a bit longer, and then I’ll call it a night,” Naroditsky declared defiantly, ignoring his friend’s pleas to end the livestream.

He expressed a strong need to vindicate himself against the speculative remarks made by former Russian grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik.

“Ever since the incident with Kramnik, it feels like people assume the worst of me when I start doing well,” Naroditsky told his audience.

Early in the stream, he ominously hinted that it might be his last session.

Responding to a comment about facing criticism, he remarked, “Yeah, I think it actually will be.”

On the following Sunday night, two days later, Giannatos and Bortnik found Naroditsky unconscious on the couch in their home in suburban Charlotte.

“I saw him through the window,” Giannatos recounted. “After knocking, I went inside and found him. I then asked Bortnik to call for help.”

Bortnik made the call, handing the phone to Giannatos, who spoke with the dispatcher until the police arrived. Details regarding their concerns from the livestream weren’t disclosed.

The Charlotte Chess Center, which Giannatos started, later confirmed Naroditsky’s passing, indicating the situation is being treated as a possible suicide or drug overdose.

For months, Naroditsky had been subjected to harsh allegations of cheating in online matches by Kramnik.

Naroditsky, who became a grandmaster at just 18, continuously denied any misconduct but accused Kramnik, now 50, of attempting to ruin his reputation.

His mother, Elena, mentioned that Kramnik’s accusations severely impacted her son’s mental health.

“Daniel valued his dignity and name in the chess community above all, and Kramnik was trying to portray him as a fraud,” she shared, reiterating the toll this took on him.

The International Chess Federation is looking into possible disciplinary actions against Kramnik for promoting unsubstantiated cheating allegations against Naroditsky.

President Arkady Dvorkovich promised the federation would take appropriate measures if findings of harassment or bullying are confirmed.