FM Peter Giannatos, founder of the Charlotte Chess Center, was a close friend of GM Daniel Naroditsky and played a pivotal role in encouraging Daniel to build his post-collegiate life in Charlotte. Peter and the tight-knit Charlotte community spent significant time with Danya, including in the days leading up to his tragic passing. In this conversation, Peter reflects on their friendship, shares what he feels is appropriate about Danya’s final days, and highlights a new fundraiser created to honor Daniel’s legacy. I’m grateful for the clarity and courage Peter brought to this deeply emotional discussion as the chess world begins to process and heal from this immense loss.

0:00- Intro- 

Support the fundraiser here:

https://givebutter.com/naroditsky

0:02- FM PeterGiannatos joins the podcast and begins with the story of how he met Danya. 

Read Peter’s Eulogy here:

https://x.com/PeterGiannatos/status/1981875015030079553?s=20

IM John Bartholomew’s tribute to Danya:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kclevjiPK5I&t=2s

0:09- Getting Danya to move to Charlotte

19:00- Clarifying the timeline around Daniel’s death 

32:00- The weight of the allegations on Daniel

Mentioned: Daniel explains a Bc8 move that some found suspicious

https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/1g7la27/daniel_narodistky_full_analysis_of_the_move_bc8/

43:00- How to honor Daniel’s legacy

57:00- One last Danya story -

check out the games from "The Meatball Match" here:

https://www.chess.com/c/2PprrfhA6

1:02:00- Thanks to Peter for sharing so many personal stories during a difficult time. Here is how to support Danya's legacy if you are so inclined:

⁠https://givebutter.com/naroditsky⁠

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