This is the kind of article that no one ever wants to write, but chess is a part of life, and in life there are dramas such as the one we are going to unfold.

The protagonist is Jessie Gilbert, born 19 years ago in England. At the very young age of eight, she discovered chess and immediately became a passionate player.

Her first public appearance came in 1999, when she prevailed in the Women’s World Amateur Chess Championship at only 11 years of age. A new wunderkind was discovered and The English Chess Federation delighted. Jessie obtained a scholarship from The Brain Trust charity and the Swedish company Bure Equity to go to New York for study with Grand Master Edmar Mednis.

From that point onwards, she was one of the world’s most successful young female players. Jessie represented her country in several world championships and Olympiads. But she was very young and in chess you have to take things step by step.

She seemed to be developing fine, but on July 26 the drama of her life came to light. Jessie jumped from the 8th floor of a hotel in the Czech Republic, where she was playing the Czech Open.

On the night of the tragedy she was drunk and had taken several antidepressants. Jessie shared the room with her 14‑year‑old compatriot and fellow chess player Amisha Parmar. At one point during the evening, Parmar became sick from drinking and had to visit the bathroom. When she came back Jessie was not there. She thought that Jessie had gone for a walk, but after waiting for several hours, she began to get worried. Jessie’s body was found soon thereafter.

Some details still remain vague. Following the tragedy, we learned that Jessie was a somnambulist. The police first speculated that she was sleepwalking when she jumped. However, the case became more complicated.

More information was released and it turns out this was not the first time Jessie had tried to hurt herself–on one occasion she had even used a knife– which would explain the antidepressants and why suicide was the second theory  police considered. But why that night, in the middle of a tournament without saying anything? And also after winning a place at Oxford University to study medicine.

This last piece of information comes from www.wikipedia.com. There we can read that Jessie’s life was much gloomier than anybody could have imagined. Her parents are divorced. Her father, Ian Gilbert, plays a dark figure in this real‑life drama. When Jessie took her life, he was awaiting a verdict concerning two cases of indecent assault and seven charges of rape. One of his victims is believed to be dead, while the other is believed to be Jessie.

Maybe the idea of testifying against her father was too much for her and she decided to close this nightmarish chapter of her life. We can only conjecture. In any case, Jessie is gone forever, leaving in her wake a number of brilliant chess games, like the one we present today: an excellent victory against the 27‑year‑old Finnish player Tanja Rantanen.