Claude Bloodgood

Claude Bloodgood

Claude Frizzel Bloodgood (born Klaus Frizzel Bluttgutt III on July 14, 1937, died August 4, 2001) was a controversial American chess player. As a young man, he got into trouble with the law and was arrested several times. He was sentenced to death after being convicted of murdering his mother, although this sentence was later commuted. While in prison, he remained a very active chess player, playing a large number of correspondence games and rated games with other inmates. Over time, he achieved a very high ranking in the United States Chess Federation (USCF). Some allege he accomplished this by manipulating the ratings system in use at the time.