South Carolina Chess Master Aleksander Wojtkiewicz Dead

Aleksander Wojtkiewicz, 43, an internationally ranked chess player and a native of Latvia, died of an intestinal hemorrhage July 14 in Baltimore.

Aleksander Wojtkiewicz (January 15, 1963, Riga - July 14, 2006, Baltimore) was an International Grandmaster of chess. He was Polish by nationality but was born in Latvia, USSR; his last name was originally spelled Vojtkevic. He was jailed by the Soviets for two years because he refused to serve in the Soviet Army. When Poland regained independence he moved from Riga to Warsaw where he won two Polish Chess Championships.