Leading Young Chess Player Falls to Death

Police in the Czech Republic are investigating the death of a leading British chess player who fell from the window of her hotel room during one of the world's biggest tournaments.

Jessica Gilbert, 19, was found dead on Wednesday morning outside the Hotel Labe in Pardubice. The teenager, from Woldingham in Surrey, was one of Britain's most promising young female players, having won the women's world amateur championship at the age of 11.

She was in Pardubice to take part in the Czech Open chess tournament, involving 4,000 players from 50 countries, before taking up a place at Oxford University to study medicine this autumn.

A Czech police spokeswoman said the incident was being investigated and a postmortem examination was being carried out.

Fellow British players in the tournament abandoned matches as a mark of respect after news of Miss Gilbert's death.

Miss Gilbert's parents, Ian and Angela, released a statement yesterday asking to be left to grieve for their daughter. In a statement released by their solicitor, the family said: "Jessie was a titled chess player and had been competing in the Czech open chess championships. Miss Gilbert was much loved and was an exceptionally talented chess player. She won the women's world amateur championship aged 11 and regularly represented England in international events."

Jiri Petruzalek, of the Ave Kontakt agency, which is organising the Czech Open tournament said: "There is still an official investigation going on and nothing will be confirmed until the post-mortem examination is carried out. There are no signs of anyone else being involved or an accident."

Leonard Barden, the Guardian's chess correspondent, said Miss Gilbert was working towards attaining a women's international master title.

He said: "She was due to go to Oxford in September to begin a medical degree. She always wanted to do medicine, from the age of 11. I find the whole thing very mysterious. It is such a shock."