Claude Frizzell Bloodgood III was born on July 14, 1937, in Norfolk, Virginia. His parents were Claude Frizzell Bloodgood Jr. and Margaret B. Howell.

In 1969, just nine days after being released from prison, Claude Frizzell Bloodgood III murdered his mother, Margaret Bloodgood. He rolled her body in a carpet and left it in Dismal Swamp, where it was soon discovered. Bloodgood was convicted and sentenced to death; however, this sentence was later changed to life imprisonment after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling found the death penalty unconstitutional.

While in prison, Bloodgood became an active chess player. He played thousands of chess games through the mail and against other inmates. He also published three books on chess openings. In 1974, he attempted to escape with another inmate during a furlough to play in a chess tournament, but they were captured a few days later.

Bloodgood challenged his sentence in court, arguing that his earlier burglary convictions in Delaware were unconstitutional because he had not been provided with a lawyer at that time. These claims were rejected by the courts. Over the years, Bloodgood achieved a very high rating in the U.S. Chess Federation, which led to accusations that he manipulated the ratings by arranging matches in a way that favored him.

Despite the controversy, Bloodgood maintained that he played fairly. He continued to play chess in prison until his health began to decline. He made a series of claims in hopes of gaining an early release and often insisted that he was innocent of his crimes. Bloodgood died of lung cancer in Powhatan Correctional Center on August 4, 2001.