Gilles Andruet

Andruet was a member of the French team at the 1982, 1984 and 1988 Chess Olympiad.[2] In 1988 he won the French Chess Championship and reached his peak Elo rating (2450).[3] During the 1989 Championship, Andruet was involved in a violent altercation with Jean-Luc Seret and subsequently withdrew from the tournament despite the fact that he was in the lead after 10 of 14 rounds.[4] He played less regularly after 1991.

For a detailed account, see Murder of Gilles Andruet.

Andruet was also a gambler. Starting in 1993, he regularly played backgammon and blackjack in casinos and although he initially won significant amounts of money, he eventually became a pathological gambler riddled with debt.[5] On 22 August 1995 Andruet's body was found on the shores of the Yvette in Saulx-les-Chartreux. He had been beaten to death. The investigation focused on Joseph Liany and his son Franck who had presumably helped Andruet cash a check of 398,000 French francs. Josepth Liany was eventually tried eight years later, convicted of murder and sentenced to a 15-year prison term. His son Franck received a seven-year sentence for his role in the affair. Joseph Liany subsequently identified his nephew Sacha Rhoul as the man solely responsible for the murder. A new trial in 2006 cleared Liany but convicted Rhoul in absentia.[6] Rhoul had been living in Marrakech where he and his father managed the Palais Rhoul, a well-known luxury hotel. Jean-Claude Andruet, Gilles' father repeatedly called for the arrest and extradition of Rhoul.[7] On 25 February 2010, Moroccan authorities arrested Rhoul following an Interpol mandate and extradited him on 6 March. Four years later, Sacha Rhoul was acquitted.[8]

This article is largely a translation of that appearing on the French Wikipedia site - see the language link in the left margin to gain access.

• Gilles Andruet player profile and games at Chessgames.com