ON THIS DAY - 1975: Fischer forfeits chess crown

CHESS - On this day, precisely 37 years ago, Bobby Fischer refused to defend his world chess title he won in 1972, surrendering it by default to Anatoly Karpov. Fischer would never reclaim the world title and Karpov reigned the chess world for 10 years until he was defeated in 1985 by Garry Kasparov.

BIRTHDAY - 3 April: John Smit (Rugby Union)

RUGBY UNION - Today, John Smit is 34 years old. The Springboks front row forward captained South Africa to the 2007 Rugby World Cup, returning the Webb Ellis Cup to the Rainbow Nation for the first time in eight years (South Africa relinquished the Cup in 1999). At the time of publication, Smit is his country’s leading cap taker with 111 international appearances for the Springboks.

Shares birthday with: Doris Day, Marlon Brando, Eddie Murphy