The Marshall Spectator
October 29, 2025
In This Issue: From The Skittles Room GM Daniel Naroditsky's game against me in Wijk Aan Zee, by GM Lenderman A Tribute to Danya, by IM Nico Chasin In Memory of GM Daniel Naroditsky, by GM Avetik of ChessMood Chess Toons En Passant Problems, Problems, curated by Alexander George Editor’s Note
Welcome back, fellow chess players, to this somber edition of the Marshall Chess Club’s fortnightly bulletin, The Marshall Spectator.
The sudden passing of GM Daniel Naroditsky has deeply affected many of us at the Marshall Chess Club. Losing any great player is always sorrowful, but losing someone so young and full of promise feels especially tragic. His passing has cut short a brilliant career and silenced a voice that so many of us regularly enjoyed. Whether through his live streams, writing, commentary, or insightful analysis, his unique voice was one that nearly every chess player I know is familiar with. For those who knew him personally, this loss is heartbreakingly close. But even for those who didn’t, his absence is felt throughout our community, and the void left in American chess is beyond measure, as captured by this tribute video from chess.com and this tribute episode of the C-Squared podcast.
Last winter, while visiting New York City for the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships, GM Daniel Naroditsky called the club to enter the Friday Night FIDE Blitz. His voice was unmistakable over the phone, and those in the club felt the buzz the moment his name appeared on the screen under the entries.
He came in second place, scoring 7.5 out of 9, finishing behind only his colleague GM Olexandr Bortnyk, who managed 8 points in the same field. Despite the fact that he was an elite player visiting the city to play in an elite event, he graced our club with his presence and was humble and pleasant, chatting with members and taking photos and selfies with anyone who approached. His warmth and conscientiousness were unusual for a player of his strength, and his genuine passion for the game of chess was visible at the board.
Although he was not a regular member of our club and did not live in New York City, I nonetheless have received so many emails and thoughts from readers of The Marshall Spectator that it seemed fitting to dedicate this issue to his memory with some contributions from those who played him and knew him.
In times like these, I find it helps to distract myself in the best way that I know how - by playing chess.
Looking ahead on our calendar, we have a number of special events planned, such as the Senior Championship, November 7-9, and our annual Jerry Simon Memorial Amateur Championship, November 21-23. Be sure to register in advance for these events, as they are likely to sell out.
The Mona Karff Memorial Women’s Championship, November 7-9, will feature a $5,000 prize fund and will crown the winner with the the title of 2025 Women’s club champion. And of course, our cap-stone event for the year, the 109th annual Edward Lasker Memorial Marshall Chess Club Championship, December 18-21, will have $10,000 in prizes and will determine this years club champion. This event is sure to be full of strong players battling for the title. You can register for these special events here.
Looking back over the last two weeks, we have had a plethora of events for our members to participate in.
The Sunday Quads on October 26 had 88 players registered, and the following winners of their quads won $50: Lucas Lu, Isaac Hart Statz, Christopher Williams, John Moina, Farirai Gumbe, Owen J Pang, Jesse Lee, Selvin Ramirez, Aziz Abdijalilov, Daniel Anatoliy Svoyskiy, Aadit Mordani, Ekam Singh Anand, Jacob Sol Modzelewski, Lve Wang, Jacon Yang, and Ryan Isaiah Saavedra. The following players tied in their quad, winning $25 each: Ian Avery Singh, Quan Ince, Aileen Lou, Rhyan Grennan, Akira Endo, Rico He, Sanaya Chisolm, and Jessica Yongxin Liu.
The Rated Beginner Open on October 26 had 28 players registered and was won by Robert Allen, Keneth Kyei-Baffour, and Aisultan Rakhimbayev, who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $104.33 each.
The Under 2000 Morning Action on October 25 had 49 players registered and was won by Cameron Edward Hull, Andrew Zeng, and Abeer Sethi, who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $204.67 each.
The Morning Masters on October 25 had 6 players registered and was won by Daniel Wang and Winsley Wu, who scored 2.5 out of 3 to win $37.50 each.
The Saturday Game 50 Under 1800 on October 25 had 43 players registered and was won by William Chan, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win the $258 first-place prize, while the following players won $100.33 for their 3.5 out of 4 score: Vinayan M P, Rohith Pillai, and Emileo Martinez.
The Saturday Game 50 Open on October 25 had 38 players registered and was won by IM Jay Bonin and Daniel Yassky, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win $190 each, while Travis Patay and Sameul Pozen scored 3 out of 4 to win $57 each.
The Women & Girls’ Open on October 24 had 8 players registered and was won by Dhruthi Rao, who scored 3 out of 3 to win the $48 first-place prize, while Shruthi Rao, Isabelle Kao, and Awatef Said Manah scored 2 out of 3 each to win $8.
The Friday FIDE Blitz on October 24 had 47 players registered and was won by IM Tanitoluwa Adewumi and IM Liam Putnam, who scored 8 out of 9 to win $176.25 each. CM Derin Goktepe won $59 for his 6.5 out of 9 score, while Nathan Peyton also won a $59 class prize for his 5.5 out of 9 performance. The following players shared in the remaining prize funds, winning $39.33 each for their 6 out of 9 performance: Sasha Arthur Kagle, Luke Anatol, and Lucas Lu.
The Thursday Action on October 23 had 22 players registered and was won by IM Augusto Moran, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win $83. The following players scored 3 out of 4 to win $27.80 each: FM Leif Pressman, IM Jay Bonin, Hairan Liang, NM Luke Leon Robin Anatol, and Travis Patay. Jeremy Graham scored 2.5 out of 4 to win $42, and Farirai Gume won the upset prize.
The Marshall Masters on October 21 had 15 players registered and was won by FM Aditeya Das, who scored 3.5 out of 4 to win the $200 first-place prize. IM Liam Putnam and FM Leif Pressman scored 3 out of 4, winning $131.25 each, while the following players won $16.67 each for their 2.5 out of 4 score: NM Aakaash Meduri, Kenneth Fernandez, and Evan Kauffmann.
The Rated Beginner Open on October 19 had 29 players registered and was won by the following players who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $121 each: Aidan Kassir, Jason Camas, and Danny Miyoshi Jr.
The Monthly Under 1800 on October 19 had 22 players registered and was won by Mikhail Razygraev, who scored 4.5 out of 5 to win the $350 first-place prize. Hillel Doron-Repa, Michael Verberkmoes, and Philip Xia scored 3.5 out of 5 to win $111 each, while Andy Tran and Garry P Portugal scored 3 out of 5 to win $52.50 each.
The Monthly Under 2400 on October 19 had 59 players registered and was won by FM Aditeya Das, who scored a near-perfect 4.5 out of 5 to win the $950 first-place prize. Aidan Baker and George P Berg scored 4 out of 5 to win $332.50 each, while Milo Su won a $285 class prize for his 3.5 out of 5 score. The following players won $39.67 each for their 3.5 out of 5 performance: GM Michael Rohde, Luke Leon Robin Anatol, Justin Dalhouse, Leandro Nicholas Ulloa Centeno, Miles Hinson, and WCM Abigail Zhou.
The Morning Masters on October 18 had 9 players registered and was won by GM Michael Rohde and Frederick Zhao, who scored 2.5 out of 3 to win $56.50 each.
The Under 2000 Morning Action on October 18 had 67 players and concluded with 6 players having a perfect score. Jia Rui Weng won a $252 class prize for his 3 out of 3 performance, while the following players won $117.40 each for the same score: Nico Alvarado-Yoshida, Kenny T Bollin, Hugh Verrier, Anay Varma, and Nathanael Bredwood.
The Friday Rapid on October 17 had 20 players registered and was won by FM Linxi Zhu, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win the $85 first-place prize. Victor Ying, Sasha Kagle, and Lucas Lu scored 3 out of 4 to win $21.67 each, while Dheeraj Prasanth won a $22 prize for the same score. Gary Chan won a $22 class prize for his 2 out of 4 performance, while Nicholas Sonnenberg, Garry P Portugal and Jeffrey Ho scored 1.5 out of 4 to win $7.33 each.
The Friday Afternoon Action on October 17 had 6 players registered and was won by Luke Anatol, who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $45, while Kenny T Bollin and Gautam Medabalmi scored 2 out of 3 to win $15 each.
The Thursday Action on October 16 had 32 players registered and was won by Vladimir Bugayev, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win the $117 first-place prize. Alan Stolyarov scored 3.5 out of 4 to win $78, while the following players won $23.60 each for their 3 out of 4 score: NM Bryan Weisz, Luke Anatol, NM Aakaash Meduri, Sasha Kagle, and Grant Rheingold. Finally, Cameron Edward Hull and Anderson Woo won $29.50 each for their 2.5 out of 4 performance, and Eli Sidman won the upset prize.
The Columbus/Indigenous Peoples’ Day Action on October 13 had 89 players registered and was won by IM Mykola Bortnyk and NM Kiren Nasta, who scored 5.5 out of 6 to win $573.50 each. Tim Shvarts scored 5 points to win a $287 class prize, while FM Leif Pressman and GM Michael Rohde won $72 for the same score. Christopher Williams, Adam Gordon, and Theodore Shin won $95.67 for their 4.5 out of 6 performance, while Owen Mak and Charlie Rozenfeld won a class prize, winning $143.50 each for their 4 out of 6 score.
We look forward to seeing you at the club soon!
GM Daniel Naroditsky in Wijk Aan Zee, by GM Aleksandr Lenderman
This game I played in Wijk An Zee, the only time I had the opportunity to play in this prestigious location in the Netherlands, which hosts the prestigious Tata Steel tournament every year in January for top players. I played Daniel in the qualifier for at that time, the C group of the Tata Steel tournament. At that time, he was still a young player, 16 years old, and not a grandmaster yet, so I decided to take some liberties in the opening to try to create winning chances, since it was a tournament where only first place qualified for the stronger event. In retrospect, this decision proved to be too risky, as Daniel swiftly punished me, and won a very nice attacking game against me.
You can play through the game with annotations here.
Naroditsky, Daniel - Lenderman, Aleksandr, Wijk An Zee, 2011
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Be3 Qb6!? A sideline within a sideline. (4... d5) (4... d6 are the main lines here.)
5. Qd2!? Very principled pawn sac by Daniel. At that time, I definitely underestimated him and thought he was a more positional player and didn’t expect him to play in a principled, dynamic way. (5. Rb1 d6 I expected something like this.) (5. a3 d6 Is also possible. (5... Qxb2?? 6. Na4) 6. h3 (6. Bc4 Nf6) 6... Nf6 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Be2)
5... Qxb2 6. Rb1 Qa3 7. Nf3 b5??
Here I tried to stop Bc4, but I really took this too far. Naturally, this move, which was a novelty at that time, didn’t have any followers. I simply have no development for so many pawn moves, and Daniel was able to punish me swiftly for this reckless play, violating opening principles, moving pawns, and the queen so many times, without developing my pieces. (7... d6 8. Bc4 Nd7 Is likely the best way to play.) (7... d5!? Was also an interesting try by Ehlvest. 8. exd5 Nf6 9. dxc6 bxc6 (9... Nxc6) 10. Bc4 Ba6 11. Ne5 O-O 12. Rb3 Qa5 13. Qd3 Nfd7 14. Nxd7 Bxc4 15. Qxc4 Nxd7 16. Qxc6 Rac8 17. Qxd7 Rxc3 18. O-O Rc7 19. Qb5 Qxa2 20. c4 a6 21. Qb4 a5 22. Qb5 a4 23. Rb4 a3 24. Ra4 Qe2 25. g3 a2 26. Ra1 e5 27. dxe5 Rfc8 28. R1xa2 Qd1+ 29. Kg2 h5 30. Qd5 Qb3 31. e6 1-0 (31) Guseinov,G (2636)-Ehlvest,J (2528) Chess.com INT 2023)
8. Bxb5! Of course! White is simply crashing through.
8... cxb5 9. Nxb5 Qxa2 10. Nc7+?! White is still winning, but White had more of a forced convincing win here using some nice tactics. (10. Qc3!! Now, Black is so poorly coordinated but they are losing lots of material or getting mated by force.
10... Na6 (10... Qxb1+ 11. Kd2 Qxh1 12. Qxc8#)
11. Ra1 Qe6 12. Rxa6 Qxe4 (12... Bxa6 13. Nc7+) 13. Rxa7 Rb8 14. Qc7) 10... Kd8 11. O-O Kxc7 12. Ra1 Qxa1 Unfortunate necessity. (12... Qb2 13. Rfb1) (12... Qe6 13. d5! Qxe4 14. Qa5+ Kd6 15. Qc5#)
13. Rxa1 Nc6. Materially, it’s about equal, but I am completely lost. What’s instructive about this position is that, besides my horrendous development, my king is super exposed, and given that Daniel has a queen and I don’t, the fact that my king is weak shows even more, since I don’t have a queen that can potentially guard my king.
14. e5?! White is still winning but a cleaner way was. (14. Rb1! Kd8 15. d5)
14... Kd8 15. Qc3! e6 16. Ng5 Ke8 17. Ne4 f6? Opening up the center when behind on development is rarely a good idea. (17... h6)
18. d5! Of course, Daniel strikes in the center, and I’m completely busted now.
18... exd5 19. Nd6+ Kf8 20. Bc5 Nce7 21. exf6 Nxf6 22. Bd4 Neg8 23. Nxc8 Rxc8 24. Qxc8+ Kf7 25. Rxa7 Ne7 26. Qa6 Rb8 27. g3
A very nice game by Daniel (almost a miniature), punishing me severely for violating basic opening principles and being overly ambitious. I know later in his career, Daniel became much more of a sharp attacking player, and it’s possible that this game inspired him by showing him that he’s quite capable of playing very good attacking chess, and not just classical positional chess. We have lost a great player and teacher of the game. May Daniel rest in peace! 1-0
GM Aleksandr Lenderman, Marshall Spectator Contributor
Tribute to Danya
Daniel Naroditsky (November 9, 1995–October 19, 2025)
Before I begin writing about this extraordinary man, I need to concede that even a full book-length work would fail to capture his singular essence.
Daniel Naroditsky—or Danya, as he was known to his many devoted fans and friends—was a streamer, a commentator, a beautiful writer, and an exceptional chess player and educator. To me, he was all of this and more: a mentor, a coach, and one of my closest friends whom I regarded as an older brother.
Like many others, I first encountered him as the captivating figure you’d watch late into the night, playing bullet chess at exhilarating speeds while maintaining witty banter with his chat. He was one of the rare players who could hold his own against my dear friend Andrew Tang—no small feat, given Andrew’s notorious ability to dispatch opponents in bullet chess with ruthless efficiency.
I first met Danya in person in 2017 at the Western Invitational, a chess camp organized in Tucson, AZ, by another remarkable individual, Robby Adamson. While all the coaches were impressive, Danya’s infectious enthusiasm for the game was immediately apparent. I was only ten at the time and decidedly the shortest member of the group—a detail worth mentioning because Danya himself had once been the smallest in the room before experiencing a dramatic growth spurt. And yes, for the curious: the fedora was already part of my signature look, to which the accompanying photographic evidence will attest.
Fast forward to early 2022. My chess had stagnated, and I was actually lower-rated than I’d been four years earlier. I needed a catalyst, and Danya proved to be precisely that. He believed in me from day one. I tentatively reached out to him, asking if he might be willing to take me on as a student. His response opened with these words: “Before I go any further, I once again want to reiterate that it’s an honor to work with you. My schedule is crazy, and I wear many hats, but there is nothing I enjoy more than helping young, talented players improve. I do not take on any students whom I don’t believe in, and whom I don’t believe cannot achieve greatness.” Knowing his masterful way with language and penchant for wordplay, I later realized the “many hats” comment was one of his characteristically subtle jokes (see “fedora” above)! Under his guidance, I rose from the low 2200s to a seasoned International Master in just six months—unprecedented progress for me. I always wanted to give Danya the lion’s share of the credit, but he was far too humble to accept it.
Our relationship gradually evolved from a strictly professional one into a genuine friendship. That’s when I discovered the beautiful human behind the streaming persona and YouTube videos—someone who inspired me to become the best version of myself, both as a person and as a chess player. He served as my confidant during the most difficult periods of my life and, through thick and thin, never wavered in his conviction that I would achieve my goals of earning the GM title and beyond.
I had the immense privilege, just a week and a half before his passing, to stay with him for a training camp that organically transformed into a bro-chess hangout. This was actually our second such training camp. The first had been in April, during which Levy Rozman joined for some spirited blitz matches. A moment from that first camp stands out vividly—and surprisingly, it had nothing to do with chess. During a break, we noticed the Clippers (my team) were playing the Warriors (his team) in a crucial Western Conference playoff seeding match. Despite being a die-hard Warriors fan for longer than I’ve been alive, Danya remained upbeat and enthusiastic throughout the game, making it genuinely enjoyable to watch—all the more so when the Clippers won in a dramatic overtime finish. He smiled broadly, simply happy to have shared the experience with me. He always cared more about the deeper connection than a quantifiable outcome.
The second training camp somehow exceeded the first. It was sustained through amazing food (I had to step out of my comfort zone a bit to satisfy his insatiable love for spicy food), intense blitz/blindfold/bullet battles, stimulating car drives where we got into our feels, and yelling at the TV whenever there were crazy blunders in the Vishy-Kasparov match.
Danya, I miss you so much. I miss our hour-long calls in between games at the US juniors, where you would transport me back to Morphy’s legendary European conquest. I miss your good-natured scoffing at my TikTok music obsession when I had the aux in your car. I miss teaching you brain-rot like the infamous “6, 7” joke, and watching you wince as I attempted (typically unsuccessfully) to dazzle you with my impressions of elite chess players.
I know you’re up there somewhere, drinking your butterscotch tea (which, I’ll admit, is actually delicious—though I was skeptical at first!) alongside the legendary figures you taught me so much about. Down here, we will ensure that your legacy endures.
-Nico Chasin,
New York City
October 27, 2025
IM Nico Chasin, Marshall Chess Club Rapid Champion and Spectator Contributor
Dear Marshall Members,
What happened to Danya… all the events… all the people… all the darkness that led to this, is heartbreaking.
He was one of the most loved and respected figures in the chess world, and without doubt, in our ChessMood family too.
Many of you wrote to me, sharing how much you will miss him, his streams, his speedruns, his humor, his kindness.
And I will miss him too.
Our conversations.
Our online matches.
When he would say on stream, “Oooh, I am paired with the beast, Avetik ChessMood! Right Mood, Right Move!”
And then calmly crush me.
We never managed to record a podcast episode together.
Never managed to record his course, In the Mind of Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky.
So I thought, maybe we should still do it.
It will never come close to what he would have created, and I could never capture all the brilliance of his mind.
But we decided to record a course, In Danya’s Mind, to honor his legacy and let his lessons live on.
You will find 10 of his best games: 5 classical and 5 blitz.
This course is free. And it will stay free forever.
At the end of it, you will also find a link where you can donate to his family or to any cause they choose.
In memory of Danya…
A legend. A friend.
Watch the course “In Danya’s mind.”
Chess Toons
En Passant
On 20th October 2025, the chess world was struck by heartbreaking news. It was shared by the Charlotte Chess Center that GM Daniel Naroditsky passed away at the age of 29. It was a shock to everyone. We lost a gifted player, an unforgettable teacher, commentator, and a truly kind person at such a young age… In this article, you can see how the chess world reacted to this very sad news.
The chess world is mourning after the heartbreaking death of GM Daniel Naroditsky, a loss that has sparked an unprecedented wave of tributes from fans and top players such as GMs Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, and Levon Aronian…During this week’s Take Take Take stream of Titled Tuesday, Carlsen shared an emotional reaction to the passing.
Chess has long produced prodigies with complicated personalities, prone to quirks, fierce rivalries and sometimes tortured relationships with the game itself. Daniel Naroditsky, a chess grandmaster, was at once a successor to that lineage and a merry subverter of it…On Monday, the news of the death of Mr. Naroditsky, 29, stunned the same chess world that he had devoted himself to, leading to an outpouring of grief and bitter accusations that another elite player, Vladimir Kramnik, a Russian grandmaster and former world champion, had bullied him.
Vladimir Kramnik has broken his silence following the death of American grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, calling the 29-year-old’s passing a tragedy.
Problems, Problems, curated by Alexander George
Anthony Taffs 1964, 1981
White to mate in 3.
Anthony Taffs is the world’s greatest composer of figure chess problems.
Daniel Naroditsky was the brightest light in my chess firmament and his loss darkened that world. He loved both wordplay and chess, and so I offer up these two puzzles in celebration of his incandescent personality. May his memory be a blessing.
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Solution to last issue’s problem (W. A. Shinkman, 1877):
White to move and mate in 3
1.Rh1 KxR 2.Kg3 Kg1 3.Re1 mate. If 1...Kf3 2.Rh2 Kf4 3.Rf2 mate. And if 1...Kf2 2.Kh3 Kf3 3.Rf1 mate.
More from the great Shinkman next issue.
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Alexander George
Editor’s Note
As always, if you have any feedback, comments, or would like to submit an article please contact us directly at td@marshallchessclub.org.
Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
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