Overview
- Charlotte Chess Center and FIDE confirmed his unexpected death in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 20.
- His family released a statement via the Charlotte Chess Center announcing his passing and asking for privacy.
- No cause of death has been disclosed, and official details remain limited at this early stage.
- Tributes from across the chess world followed, with Hikaru Nakamura, Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri, Wesley So and Benjamin Bok among those offering condolences.
- Known as an elite player and popular streamer on YouTube and Twitch, he was a former World U-12 champion, became a grandmaster at 18 and won the U.S. national blitz title in August.