The Week in Chess

There are reports from Moscow that the 73 year old former World Chess Champion Boris Spassky is gravely ill in hospital and fighting for his life after a stroke. This has been a terrible few months for former legends of the game with the deaths of Andrei Lilienthal, Vassily Smyslov and Bent Larsen.

An update suggests that Spassky is doing a little better. http://sport.rian.ru/sport/20100928/280078579.html. "It is a cardiovascular intensive care unit but his condition is stable and does not cause concern," said a spokesman.