Russian Yuri Eliseev, a 20-year old chess grandmaster, died after he fell down from the 12th floor of an apartment near Pyatnitsky highway in Moscow. The chess prodigy was reportedly leaping from one balcony to another when he missed one of the rails and fell down.
Parkour, which has now become an international movement, was based on a French Special Forces training program known as "The Path of the Warrior". It is the art of moving from one point to another while making use of the obstacles along the way.
"Tonight my close friend died - an outstanding chess player and analyst, one of the most talented people I know, Yura Yeliseyev," posted Daniil Dubov, who is also a Russian chess prodigy, wrote on his Facebook page."He was trying to climb from the window onto a balcony on the 12th floor but lost his grip."
CNN said Eliseev, who was previously given the grandmaster title at the age of 17, was named champion during the 2016 Moscow Open. He was also declared the world junior champion for the under 16 category in 2012. The authorities have confirmed his death and said he died because of the injuries from the fall but are still trying to establish the actual circumstances behind the incident.
ABC News said the Russian Chess Federation sent its deepest condolences to Yuri Eliseev's family. Some of his friends who were at his apartment when the incident happened said Eliseev was a fan of the urban sport which required practitioners to jumps across walls, roofs, fences or even buildings.
In a report, The Guardian said photos posted in social media showed Eliseev hanging from a ledge several feet above the ground. His death came as a shock to Russia knowing how the country placed premium importance in the game of chess. The incident was made more tragic considering that it happened before Monday's world championship between Russian Sergey Karjakin who is challenging Magnus Carlsen, the title holder.
