Now Is Not The Time For Recriminations: Daniel Naroditsky's Life Should Be Celebrated

It has been less than 24 hours since the horrible news was made public. But already reams and reams have been written about it.

GM Daniel Naroditsky was one of the most popular and beloved figures on the international chess scene. The goodwill that surrounded him in the chess community was clear to see.

His unexpected death, announced by the Charlotte Chess Center on Monday, was a shock to everyone. Only 29 years old.

But almost immediately Danya's death became the subject of a row, anger, accusations and recriminations. Fans and players alike have said some horrible things to each other. None of that will be repeated here.

Speculation about the cause of his death has been rife. Speculation about the events leading up to his death, what was said about him in the days and months beforehand, has also been rife.

We at World Chess are not interested in any of that. We're not reading it, we're not listening to it. We're not naming who's responsible. Everyone deals with loss in different ways.

We're just trying to remember the sparkling personality and wonderful wit of one of our own. We just want to add to the flood of tributes.

Danya had a gift. Not just at playing the game—despite all his achievements, he was probably most deadly as a deadly blitz and bullet player—but he was also one of the rare people in chess who are skilled communicators and able to explain the game to players of all levels.

Being that strong, that fast and that deep with his analysis never stopped Danya demystifying chess for so many.

We need more people in chess like Danya, not fewer. His death is a huge loss.

Rest in peace, Danya.