Public Outcry Might have Led to this Chess Star's Death

   Do not be too quick to blame Russia for this one. Other explanations might be more reasonable. If there were foul play, it may not have been the Russians.

   It's been 18 months since 18-year-old Alexandra Vernigora and her 27-year-old boyfriend, Stanislav Bogdanovich were found dead on the floor of a Moscow apartment.

   Chess players, both.

   Bogdanovich was a star -- one of the better players on this planet. He had risen to be one of the top 10-rated blitz players in the world. In regular chess, he was also magnificent, his peak rating having reached a gaudy 2616.  He had been called, "perhaps the most-talented player in the entire history of Odessa." 

   Dead on the floor of a Moscow apartment, along with his girlfriend, also an accomplished chess player.

   Laughing gas. They say they died of laughing gas. Asphyxiation. A balloon with nitrous oxide was found at the site, and it is said they had plastic bags over their heads.

   I will tell you the fuller story of their deaths. Days before, Bogdanovich had switched flags  -- from Ukraine to Russia -- just before his death. With his new alliance, he had performed superbly in a tournament just days before. The tournament was March 1, the deaths March 5. 

   Now, there's a war going on between Ukraine and Russia. The two nations are not at all on friendly terms. Imagine the outrage of his fellow Ukrainians as they learned Bogdanovich was switching to the other side. Yes, there was a media frenzy. Political leaders entered the fray. The former Ukrainian minister of defense and a candidate in three of the last presidential elections, rebuked Bogdanovich. One national website listed him as an enemy of the state. 

   If you know of the public outcry against him, you know he and his girlfriend might, indeed, have committed suicide. Public distain can bring that.

   And, if they were murdered, would it not have been the Ukrainians who did it?

   Then, there is the matter that Bogdanovich's flat in Odessa had been robbed the year before -- about $30,000 lost, most of which he had won in tournaments. The criminals were never found, but should it not be considered that if someone had it out for him once, they might still have had it out for him later?

    Smaller chance at that one, though. The robbery was in Odessa; the murder in Moscow.

   So, what of the chance the Russians killed the two chess players? During the media brouhaha, Bogdanovich had indicated that in addition to wanting to be a peacemaker by playing for Russia, he needed the money. "I do whatever is better for business," he said. "Without donations, I could not play for any team."

   That obviously didn't go over well with the Russians. An official spokesperson responded: "We never pay anyone to participate. To play for your flag is a matter of personal prestige, not money."

   So, suicide, foul play -- which? We may never know. Time rolls on and such things are soon forgotten. They touch the news, but quickly are lost. It is said time heals all wounds. It should also be said time forgets them -- even when they should not be forgotten.