Chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky had multiple drugs in his system and died from an abnormal heartbeat caused by an accidental overdose, according to a toxicology report released on Tuesday.
Naroditsky, 29, died on Oct. 19 at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to documents obtained from the North Carolina Chief Medical Examiner, the grandmaster’s cause of death was listed as cardiac arrhythmia and cardiac involvement in systemic sarcoidosis. Methamphetamine and kratom use were listed as contributing conditions.
According to the toxicology report, methamphetamine, amphetamine, 7-hydroxymitragynine and mitragynine were found in Naroditsky’s system.
American chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky had multiple drugs in his system when he died last year, according to a toxicology report. https://t.co/rYxts2XCG8
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 21, 2026
“The circumstances and scene findings suggest that death occurred suddenly, without evidence of acute distress,” the medical examiner wrote, according to The Mercury News. “He did not contact friends or emergency services with complaints of severe illness or pain.”
The investigation stated that there were “bags of kratom powder” at Narodisky’s townhome, USA Today reported. Also discovered were over-the-counter blister pack medications from foreign countries used to treat a cough, sore throat and cold.
Naroditsky was last seen alive on Oct. 18, when he accepted a food delivery, The Associated Press reported. He was found dead the next day after missing a flight to Colorado, according to the report
Naroditsky was a head coach at the Charlotte Chess Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Naroditsky, who was known as Danya, was born on Nov. 9, 1995, in San Mateo, California. He began learning chess when he was 6 years old.
Naroditsky played in five U.S. Championships, according to the U.S. Chess Federation. He won titles in the junior and youth divisions and won a gold medal in the Under-12 Open division of the 2007 FIDE World Youth Championships.
When he was 17, he won the 2013 U.S. Junior Championship. He was also awarded the title of international master in 2011 and earned grandmaster status in 2013 when he was 18 at a tournament in Villa de Benasque, Spain.
Naroditsky graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from Stanford University in 2019.
In addition to being an elite player, Naroditsky authored two chess manuals -- his first manual, “Mastering Positional Chess,” was published when he was 14. His second manual, “Mastering Complex Endgames,” was published two years later, in 2012.
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