The death of American chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky may have been the result of a drug overdose, and it is being investigated as a possible suicide, according to a police report released Thursday.
The news came as some of the world's top chess players gathered in the San Francisco Bay Area to bid farewell to Naroditsky, 29, who was found unconscious this week at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina.
His older brother, Alan Naroditsky, said in a statement that "his death is a huge loss to us all."
"To the world, Daniel is the chess grandmaster, passionate commentator, and the gifted educator who we know and love," it said. "To me, he is all of those things — but he will always be Danya, my little brother."
Alan Naroditsky said that as children, they were "inseparable" and they shared a passion for the Golden State Warriors basketball team, as well as "trading puns and our massive repertoire of inside jokes."
"He was my best friend, and one of the best human beings I have ever known," his statement read.
Naroditsky’s death outraged his supporters in the chess world, who said he’d been accused of cheating during matches and bullied relentlessly by Vladimir Kramnik, a former world chess champion he once idolized and who has accused many other players of cheating in online play.
The bare-bones report released by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says Naroditsky was found dead Sunday evening and describes the focus of the probe as a "Death/suicide/overdose/Sudden/Natural Death Investigation."
"On Sunday October 19th at approximately 07:11pm officers responded to an assist medic call in the area of 9000 Colin crossing," the report says. "Upon arrival an unresponsive subject was located and later pronounced deceased by a medic."
Naroditsky's funeral took place a day after the World Chess Federation (known as FIDE) announced it would investigate whether Kramnik should be disciplined for the disparaging public statements he made “before and after the tragic death” of Naroditsky.
"Depending on the circumstances and the findings, there is a broad array of possible sanctions, from financial penalties to a ban," a spokesperson said in an email Thursday. "The decision lies entirely with the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission, which is independent of the FIDE President and the Board."
Kramnik, 50, has insisted in email exchanges with NBC News that he has been the “subject of a bullying and slandering PR campaign,” as well as ongoing threats to him and his family.
Kramnik wrote Thursday on X that he has "contacted the Charlotte police Department and asked them to investigate the death of Daniel, providing them some additional info."
Informed by NBC News later Thursday that the police were, in fact, investigating, Kramnik claimed in an email that "my public attempts to get someone help him were ignored."
"Sad," he wrote.
Naroditsky, a child prodigy who became one of the most influential American voices in the sport, was found this week unconscious on a sofa by his friends grandmaster Oleksandr Bortnyk and Peter Giannatos, founder of the Charlotte Chess Center.
"I found him dead in his house," an emotional Bortnyk said in an online video this week. "I came to check on him with Peter, the Director of Charlotte Center, and our mutual friend. We came together to check, because he wasn’t answering. And we found him dead on the couch."
Bortnyk said he spoke to his friend "Danya" a few days before he died. He said Naroditsky was "very sad about this situation with Kramnik."
"He never f-----g cheated in his life," Bortnyk said of his friend. "Never."
The Charlotte Chess Center, where Naroditsky trained and worked as a coach, announced on social media Monday that he had died and called him “a talented chess player, educator, and beloved member of the chess community.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
