Viktor Korchnoi — chess with roots in the USSR
Viktor Korchnoi was a Soviet-Swiss chess grandmaster born in Leningrad who defected from the USSR in 1976 and played two epic World Championship matches against Anatoly Karpov (1978, 1981) — becoming the most celebrated chess defector of the Cold War. He continued competing until his late 70s, winning major tournaments into old age.
Tracing the roots — Leningrad (St. Pete)
Born in Leningrad in 1931, Korchnoi was a four-time Soviet champion and one of the strongest players in history before his defection during the 1976 Amsterdam tournament. His matches against Karpov — played while Soviet agents reportedly used psychological warfare against him — are legendary in chess history. He obtained Swiss citizenship and played for Switzerland until his death at 85.
Leningrad (St. Pete). At the time, this region was one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union.