Autopsy reveals Charlotte chess master Daniel Naroditsky’s probable cause of death
Daniel Naroditsky, one of the world’s greatest chess champions and a coach at the Charlotte Chess Center, died of cardiac arrhythmia, or an abnormal heartbeat, after ingesting methamphetamine and kratom, according to his autopsy report.
The manner of death was an accident, according to the findings.
Two days before the 29-year-old Naroditsky died, friends “noted he appeared to exhibit concerning altered mental status while streaming online,” according to the autopsy report by Dr. James Lozano, medical examiner-forensic pathologist at the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office. “Per report, they went to his residence and ‘confiscated’ approximately 40 pills described as probably Adderall.”
However, the report stated, “there is no evidence for intentional or unintentional overdose on illicit, prescription, and/or over-the-counter substances.”
Naroditsky’s concentrations of methamphetamine and mitragynine, the primary active chemical in kratom, were not by themselves fatal, according to the report.
“However, the potential for the cardiovascular stimulant effects of these substances to increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmia and thus contribute to death cannot be ruled out,” according to the report.
Naroditsky had a condition known as systemic sarcoidosis that “is the underlying cause of death,” the report stated. Sarcoidosis produces lumps or nodules in the lungs.
Naroditsky died suddenly, “without evidence of acute distress,” the autopsy showed. “He did not contact friends or emergency services with complaints of severe illness or pain.”
Naroditsky was a chess grandmaster and Stanford University graduate who was born and raised in the Bay Area of California and moved to Charlotte to coach full-time in 2019, according to his bio on YouTube, where he had 495,000 followers.
“Daniel was a talented chess player, commentator, and educator, and a cherished member of the chess community, admired and respected by fans and players around the world,” his family said in a statement the week of his death. “He was also a loving son and brother, and a loyal friend to many.”