Chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky died of abnormal heartbeat from accidental overdose, report says

This undated photo released by Charlotte Chess Center shows Daniel Naroditsky playing chess at the computer. (Kelly Centrelli/Charlotte Chess Center via AP)

RALEIGH, N.C. — Daniel Naroditsky, an influential American chess grandmaster who was found dead at his North Carolina home in October at age 29, had multiple drugs in his system at the time and was killed by an abnormal heartbeat caused by an accidental overdose, according to a toxicology report.

Released Tuesday by the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office, the report said Naroditsky tested positive for methamphetamine and kratom, an opioid-related ingredient that is increasingly added to energy drinks, gummies and supplements.

Naroditsky was last known to be alive on Oct. 18 when he accepted a food delivery. He was found dead the next day after missing a flight, according to the report.

Friends went to Naroditsky’s house two days before his death after he appeared to be acting strangely online, and they took away 40 pills of the stimulant Adderall. Investigators later also found bags of kratom in the home, according the report.

Naroditsky was a child prodigy who became a grandmaster, the highest title in chess aside from World Chess Champion, at age 18.

Fellow grandmasters credited him with introducing the sport to a wider audience by livestreaming many of his matches and sharing live commentary on others. Thousands of people regularly tuned in on YouTube and the interactive streaming platform Twitch to watch Naroditsky play.

High-speed competitive speed chess flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a chess community that was soon rife with cheating allegations as players gained access to sophisticated computer programs that could give them an unfair advantage.

Naroditsky was accused of cheating by former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik. He denied the allegations, which were not proven.

In his last livestream before his death, Naroditsky said the allegations had taken a toll on him.

“Ever since the Kramnik stuff, I feel like if I start doing well, people assume the worst of intentions. The issue is just the lingering effect of it,” Naroditsky said.

The International Chess Federation filed a formal complaint against Kramnik in November, accusing him of harassment and insulting the dignity of fellow players.

Kramnik, who called the federation’s investigation “insulting and fair,” in turn filed a defamation lawsuit against the organization the following month.

In a post Tuesday on the social platform X, he said that Naroditsky’s death an “immense tragedy” and that in the immediate aftermath, “a cynical smear campaign was launched, unjustly linking me — without any factual basis — to Daniel’s untimely death.”

Kramnik said that was followed by “multiple direct murder threats directed at me, my wife and my children, which compelled me to pursue legal action.”

“After viewing portions of his last stream and despite our existing tensions, I publicly urged Daniel’s friends — on what tragically turned out to be the morning of his death — to look after and seek urgent help for him,” Kramnik added. “Regrettably, those efforts were in vain.”

The Associated Press