The remains of chess champion Bobby Fischer are to be exhumed in order to settle a paternity claim, an Icelandic court has ruled.

The Supreme Court in Reykjavik said a tissue sample was needed to prove whether nine-year-old Jinky Young was Fischer's daughter.

Fischer, who died in Iceland in 2008, left no will.

His estate, estimated to be worth $2 million (£1.4m), has been at the heart of several inheritance claims.

Fischer's former wife, relatives and the US government - which claims it is owed taxes - are also involved in the dispute.

Jinky, a Filipina, is the daughter of Marilyn Young, who had a relationship with Fischer.

'Unavoidable'
"In order to obtain such a sample it is unavoidable to exhume his body," a court document said.

The verdict overturned a ruling by a district court, which said earlier this year that the grounds of the request were not strong enough.

Thordur Bogason, lawyer for Marilyn Young and her daughter, said the exhumation was a "last resort", saying they had hoped that blood samples had been kept in an Icelandic hospital....