Young Ukraine chess couple 'killed by laughing gas' Published duration 6 March

image copyright Bogdanovich/Vernigora/Facebook image caption Stanislav Bogdanovich and Alexandra Vernigora lived in Moscow

A 27-year-old Ukrainian chess champion and his girlfriend, 18, have been found dead in their Moscow flat, apparently poisoned by laughing gas.

Media reports say Stanislav Bogdanovich and Alexandra Vernigora - also a top chess player - were found with balloons containing the gas, nitrous oxide. The gas is inhaled using a balloon.

Russian investigators reported the deaths, without naming the pair, and said there were no signs of foul play.

Bogdanovich was a speed chess champion.

Vernigora was also a professional chess player and was studying at Moscow State University.

The Ukrainian sports website sport.ua says Bogdanovich was a grandmaster from Odessa who won the Ukrainian Under-18 championship and various chess awards at international tournaments.

Russian chess website chess-news.ru says that in 2015 he was rated eighth in the world for speed (blitz) chess.

media caption Explained: What is nitrous oxide - or 'nos'?

Reports say Bogdanovich drew much criticism recently for representing Russia in an internet chess match against Ukraine, which he won.

Sport.ua quotes a Facebook post from him (in Russian) about that , in which he argued that playing for Russia was good for business, that he was living as a guest in Russia and being treated well, and this was his small contribution to ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict.