Oleg Skvortsov, the man behind Zurich Chess, passes away at 57

In a shocking news that has caught the world of chess by absolute surprise, Oleg Skvortsov - the man behind Zurich Chess events, has passed away at the age of just 57 years.

Oleg organized the Zurich Chess Challenge from 2012 to 2017. He tried to create a very homely environment for all the top players with world class conditions.

Oleg understood the balance between keeping the purity of chess and also to make chess exciting for the viewers. With this in mind, he was an advocate for shorter time controls - something that will be used in the Total World Championships as fast classic.

Apart from being a world class organizer, Oleg was also a very strong chess player. His strength was around 2300 Elo and he loved playing against some of the best players in the world. These games were played under serious conditions. The game between Vishy Anand and him comes to mind as being an absolute gem.

Oleg loved not just chess but also Tennis and was connected to some of the best Tennis players in the world. His demise is a huge loss to the world of chess.