(NewsNation) — A chess grandmaster who started as a child prodigy has unexpectedly died at age 29.

Daniel Naroditsky, who quickly became one of the most influential American voices in the sport, achieved the title of grandmaster — the highest title in chess aside from World Champion — at the age of 18.

The Charlotte Chess Center in North Carolina, where Naroditsky trained and worked as a coach, announced Naroditsky's death on Monday.

“Let us remember Daniel for his passion and love for the game of chess, and for the joy and inspiration he brought to us all every day,” Naroditsky's family said in a statement shared by the center.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

Naroditsky won the Under-12 World Championship and spent his teenage years writing chess strategy books as he cl

See Full Page