Behind the Lens: The Naroditsky Memorial Rapid and Blitz

by Kelly Centrilli - 28/07/2026

The inaugural Naroditsky Memorial Rapid & Blitz in Charlotte was more than a chess tournament; it was a celebration of GM Daniel Naroditsky's legacy! Through the lens of Charlotte Chess Center photographer Kelly Centrelli, the event comes alive in a collection of memorable images and the stories behind them. Read on to see the tournament through the eyes of the person who captured it all. Photos: Kelly Centrelli.

Capturing the Naroditsky Memorial: A Photographer’s Story

The inaugural Naroditsky Memorial Rapid & Blitz brought together elite players, creators, and chess enthusiasts to celebrate the life and legacy of GM Daniel Naroditsky. As the Charlotte Chess Center's Communications Manager and event photographer, Kelly Centrelli had a front-row seat to the tournament's defining moments. In this photo essay, she takes readers behind the camera, sharing the stories, emotions, and memories captured in some of her favourite photographs from the event.

by Kelly Centrelli

NM Ethan Sheehan Calculates Before Defeating GM Hikaru Nakamura

Ethan was fun to photograph–he’s very expressive, and he was so happy that he often looked his Super GM opponents in the eye with a smile. I could probably make a whole article of just his photos. Ethan is very sweet and a bit awkward as one would be at 17. His win against Hikaru was monumental, and his third-place win at the Naroditsky Memorial Blitz was a story Danya himself would have loved. Ethan had worked with Danya multiple times at Castle Chess Camp, so it was just a perfect story for the inaugural Memorial.

Fabiano Caruana, in the Rapid portion of the Naroditsky Memorial

I first met Fabi at the 2024 US Masters, which he played to earn enough FIDE Circuit Points to secure his spot in the 2026 Candidates, and we’ve stayed in touch ever since. This is the sort of photo that’s not everyone’s favorite, but I am especially fond of it. The framing of the spectators on the left and right creates a small window, and the line from the stanchion demonstrates that the audience is a bit further removed from the action. The barriers create a tension in the image that this is just a small glimpse into a moment.

Young Boy Spectates the Rapid Final at the Naroditsky Memorial

Don’t let that adorable little boy fool you–he’s the #1 8-year-old in the world, and the youngest ever to hit expert level in the US (2000 USCF), achieving it even younger than Abhimanyu Mishra. Although he does not live in Charlotte, he plays in many of our tournaments, and we are very protective and fond of him. Every time I’m in a tournament photographing him, he looks right up into my camera–even when I am all the way across the hall! However, in this case, he was so enraptured by the rapid playoff that he didn’t notice me taking a photo this time. I love the innocent and slightly hopeful look on his face and the way he is holding his hands.

GoofyChess loses to IM Julien Song with a Four-Knight Mate

When Tushar Anand, aka “GoofyChess” approached Chief Arbiter Grant Oen about playing in the Masters section, Grant was thrilled – he’s a huge fan. Tushar definitely delivered in terms of content for our creators, especially in his games against WGM Dina Belenkaya and IM Julien Song. As one of the last games remaining, Tushar and Julien had a large audience as Julien had to grab more knights to accomplish his four-knight mate. I was lucky that the other games were already done because it allowed me to access the other end of the row so I could capture the spectators and media as well. This image brings a very “human” element to chess–the smiles, the spectators, the movement, etc.

Dr. Walter and Karen High Distribute Badges on the First Day of the Naroditsky Memorial

Walter High and his wife Karen are very well-known to the CCC. Walter ran the Greensboro Chess Club and resurrected the US Masters, the official Master-level open tournament of the United States before deciding to merge with CCC. When Walter joined our staff, we acquired the US Masters as well as his “pet project,” ALTO–which stands for At Least Twenty-One, an adult-only tournament. Walter and Karen owned a bookstore many years ago and have fastidious organizational methods, making them a great fit to be responsible for badge distribution and phone check. As a photographer, I like how Karen and GM Andrew Hong (picking up his badge) are standing on the thirds of the photo. The various levels keep the eyes moving.

GM Boris Gelfand Waits for the Next Round

As a photographer, I would say this is one of the strongest images in my portfolio. Although it doesn’t get as much traction on social media since it’s not a content creator, it carries a lot of the factors a photographer looks for: the foreground creates a path to the subject, Boris is in a nicely symmetrical pose, the lighting creates depth and texture, and although it looks like he’s staring deeply into the camera, this was caught in a fraction of a second. I met GM Boris Gelfand when he taught at the CCC’s 2025 Elite Camp with GMs Judit Polgar and Peter Leko. My favorite “fun fact” about Boris is that he is the best at casually twirling his chess pieces, to the point that chess.com even made a reel about it! (Link)

Peter Giannatos and Grant Oen at the Closing of the Naroditsky Memorial Rapid and Blitz

I suppose after my strongest image, I should include my weakest-but-most-meaningful to me. At the end of the Blitz portion of the tournament, Chess.com’s Mike Klein began the closing ceremony and thanked everyone for their support, and thanked Peter, Grant, and me specifically for organizing the event. I’m never in the staff photos because I’m always behind the lens, and Peter pointing at me while I very quickly took the shot was such a nice way to include me in the moment. Peter’s smile and Grant’s hint-of-a-smile really demonstrate the “we did it” emotions we were feeling at the time.

GM Hikaru Nakamura “Literally Doesn’t Even Care” as he Awaits the Next Round

I loved this photo as soon as I took it, but editing it was very difficult. In fact, I have file names “hiki,” hiki-1,” “hiki-2,” “hiki-3,” “hiki-color,” and “hiki-better.” I’m still not sure if I’m happy with the edit, but the composition does all the “right things” as a photographer. This was early on during the first day of the blitz, and I think it encapsulates Hikaru’s often cavalier and disinterested demeanor perfectly. On a fun side note, a few of the staff and I were having dinner Friday night when Hikaru came to pick up some food. He sat with us, and a few of us shared parenting stories with him–not everything is always about chess!

Daniel Naroditsky, at the Charlotte Chess Center’s 2025 Carolinas Classic Blitz

Each photo I take has a story behind it, whether it is about that exact moment, the person, or the day. In this case, Peter Leko has now famously told the story about this day: Leko was teaching at our Elite Camp that week, and he arrived while the blitz tournament was happening. He rushed to the tournament hall to see Danya play, and Danya noticed him during a game. Danya ran over to see Leko, but Leko urged him to go focus on the game! They talked plenty after the game, and although they had commentated together before, that was the first time the two met in person.

Photography is more than capturing a moment–it’s capturing a memory. Sometimes I need to get photos out quickly for news, but when I have the chance to edit them, they tell the story of the memory and how I saw it. In a split second of a blitz tournament, the intensity of a move might or the exuberance of a checkmate might be lost. My role is to give those moments posterity.

This was the last tournament where I photographed Danya. I hated to be in his face with a camera all the time, so I would try not to focus exclusively on him. I often thought, “Oh, I can just get more next time,” and of course, I didn’t know there wouldn’t be a next time. When loved ones are gone, we are only left with photos, videos, and memories, and I am glad that I am able to help those memories live on, especially in light of who and what we’ve lost.

About the Author

Kelly Centrelli is the Communications Manager and Event Photographer for the Charlotte Chess Center. Her background is in English literature, and she was an instructor at Queens College, City University of New York; Royal Holloway, University of London; and Central Piedmont Community College before joining the Charlotte Chess Center. She has been photographing since 2017 and is self-taught, having owned and operated a family and children’s photography business from 2020 to 2024.

This article is edited by Jyotsna Bhushan.

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