Michael Takahashi, “From his computer screen, Naroditsky always brought joy to every audience he served”

Daniel Naroditsky, the acclaimed American chess grandmaster, author, streamer, and beloved commentator affectionately known as “Danya,” tragically passed away. The sad and shocking news overwhelmed the chess world and left the community in dismay and shock. Daniel Naroditsky was not only a great player, but a fantastic streamer and educator, a true ambassador of the chess game. One of the frequents tributes on social media today reads, “I started playing chess because of Daniel Naroditsky”

The love for Daniel Naroditsky was and will forever be enormous. The internet space is full of unprecedented amount of tributes for the chess player and PERSON Daniel Naroditsky was. Chessdom will re-publish 40 chess community tributes in memory of Naroditsky.

Day 1: Grant Oen, “Danya Naroditsky, I know you are already up there blitzing with the legends”
Day 2: Michael Takahashi, “From his computer screen, Naroditsky always brought joy to every audience he served”

Michael Takahashi: Tribute + annotated game

Hello everyone! I’ve been putting this off for so long because I’ve been spending the last 48 hours grieving, reflecting, and thinking about the incredible impact Danya made on all of us. But I would like to share my unfiltered feelings with you, along with a game I wrote for my blog post, which I will link in the comments.

It’s been 48 hours, and I still can’t believe what I read. It was around 11:30 am, and I was in the middle of a lesson with a private student, when I read the news about Danya. Seeing the Charlotte Chess Center’s post, I was initially in denial. I didn’t want to believe it was true. For the next hour, I was half focused on my lesson and half focused on the news. You couldn’t avoid the aching feeling that all of this was true. Sadly, as I got more reports, the more I realized it had really happened. Like the rest of the chess community, I spent all of Monday grieving, trying to figure out what to do next. It felt like I lost a brother —someone who did so much good for chess and was leaving us.

It is now 12:04 am on Wednesday, and I finally have enough strength to open up, to talk about a man and a figure who meant more to chess than he ever knew. While I didn’t know Danya personally, I always had great admiration for the work he did both on and off the chessboard. On the chessboard, I knew him as one of the bravest competitors out there, never shying away from the complications or the vicissitudes a high-level chess game can bring. He always fought hard for the win, and as you will see from my annotated game, he always took significant risks in doing so. This mindset led to many incredible achievements, including earning the Grandmaster title at age 18 and placing highly in prestigious events such as the 2019 US Masters, the U10-U14 World Championships, and the 2011 US Junior Championships, to name a few.

However, it was what he did off the chessboard that would leave the most significant impact. Through his work as a commentator and educator, he always made sure to help everyone, no matter their skill level. He was kind, gracious, and always looking to make the chess world a better place. From his computer screen, he always brought joy to every audience he served, filling rooms with happiness and laughter, especially during his commentary of the speed chess championships.

To pay tribute to Danya, I have annotated the following game of his that I believe is one of the best he’s ever played. I hope you enjoy the following masterpiece:

So where do we go from here? First of all, I want to tell you all, my friends, that taking time to mourn is perfectly fine. When a tragedy strikes like this, we must all summon our strength to reflect on the situation and give it the time it needs to sink in. For me, this has meant taking a break from chess and reconnecting with who I really am, thanks to the support of my friends and family. Once we heal, I hope we realize that while Danya may have left us, his spirit lives on. The incredible foundation he helped us set will continue to expand if we choose to do so. To my fellow chess players, I pledge that we come together as one. While we’ve gone through many difficult times together, what matters is the fact that we become stronger because of it. For more than 15 years, I’ve had the honor and privilege of being a part of the chess community, and trust me, no distinction has ever meant more to me than that.

Thank you so much for reading my post, and god bless.