The chess community was recently shocked by the sudden death of 29-year-old Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky. As one of the world’s most popular and well-liked players, he was omnipresent on the internet as a player, commentator and teacher. Several top-10 players recruited Naroditsky as an assistant in preparing for big matches. He was a former junior world champion and one of the world’s best blitz players.
In fact, he was a favorite opponent of the world’s best chess player, Magnus Carlsen, in frequent informal blitz games. Carlsen said of Naroditsky that he could seemingly weave a mating attack out of thin air.
This week’s position is from a blitz game between Carlsen and Naroditsky. Carlsen is white; Naroditsky, black. Naroditsky had already made a rook exchange sacrifice with Carlsen’s knight on c3. Carlsen’s b2 pawn took the rook, and then Naroditsky checked white with knight to a2, which caused the white king to flee to d2, resulting in this week’s position.
Here, Naroditsky offered yet another sacrifice. With this hint in mind, please try to find black’s best move.
Knights naturally complement queens – as they should. Naroditsky’s next move set up a queen-knight attack by tendering a poison apple with knight takes pawn on c3. If the white king accepts the knight sacrifice, black mates with queen to b4 (see next diagram).
Instead, Carlsen responded by moving his queen to the first rank. This gives the queen access to a1, from which the queen can attack black’s knight. After Naroditsky moved his queen to b4, threatening a discovered attack, Carlsen placed his queen on a1. Naroditsky continued to apply pressure by sliding his rook over to c8, which prevented the knight’s capture (see next diagram).
The white king fled in desperation to e1 before the discovered check by the black queen with knight to b1. The king retreated to f2, and black’s rook checked white by taking white’s c2 pawn (see next diagram).
The white king escaped to g3, only to be checked again by the queen when it moved to d6. A few moves later, black’s queen mated white on h3 with the support of its bishop.
The cause of Naroditsky’s death is unknown, but it appears he may have committed suicide. In the last year, Naroditsky’s chess hero, former world champion Vladimir Kramnik, had been accusing Naroditsky of cheating online. The world’s top players easily dismissed Kramnik’s claim as false.
For decades, Kramnik has been openly paranoid and vocal about cheating. But for Naroditsky to be accused by his hero and to have a dark cloud over his head was emotionally devastating, as Naroditsky often expressed. Carlsen, among other elite players, called Kramnik a bully, and some have even blamed Kramnik for Naroditsky’s death.
Defamation aside, it is too much to blame Kramnik for Naroditsky’s death. It is, however, a larger lesson in how false accusations of any kind can be devastating. Sometimes slander even kills. In this instance, one sacrifice too many.
Reach Eric Morrow at ericmorrowlaw@gmail.com or (505) 327-7121.
