Grandmaster Krum Georgiev died at the age of 66 after a long illness, BTA reported.
Georgiev is one of the strongest Bulgarian chess players in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Participated in six Chess Olympiads between 1980 and 2000. His most notable success was his victory over chess legend and world champion Garry Kasparov at the Malta Chess Olympiad in 1980.
He has over 20 appearances in the Bulgarian state championships, and in 1979 he shared the first position with Evgeni Ermenkov, but lost the additional tiebreak for the title. Georgiev became vice-champion of the country also in 1988, 2002 and 2003.
Krum Georgiev was born in Pazardzhik on May 24, 1958. He is also an honorary citizen of the city.