Russian chess champion caught on CCTV lathering chess pieces with mercury to poison her childhood rival before match
A Russian chess champion has been caught on camera lacing chess pieces with mercury to poison her childhood rival ahead of a chess match.
Amina Abakarova, 43, was filmed entering the tournament hall of the Dagestan Chess Championship in Makhachkala, southern Russia, last Friday and taking something from her bag that appeared to be a bottle.
She then poured the contents of the vial, which turned out to be mercury, onto a chessboard and attempted to hide the liquid by wiping the board with a chess piece.
The chessboard Abakarova has her sights set on belongs to 30-year-old Umayganat Osmanova, with whom she has been at odds for years.
Abakarova attacked her rival Osmanova to take revenge for insulting her and her family, according to participants who spoke to her during the tournament.
Amina Abakarova, 43, was filmed entering the tournament hall of the Dagestan Chess Championship in Makhachkala, southern Russia, last Friday and taking out what appeared to be a bottle from her bag
She poured the contents of the vial—which turned out to be mercury—over a chessboard and tried to hide the liquid by wiping the board with a chess piece.
The chessboard Abakarova (pictured) is targeting belongs to Umayganat Osmanova, 30, with whom she has reportedly been in conflict for years
Abakarova attacked her rival Osmanova (pictured) to take revenge for insulting her and her family, according to participants who spoke to her at the tournament.
Witnesses said Abakarova had been acting suspiciously 20 minutes before the match started. They asked if the cameras that were supposed to record the matches were working.
When she was told that this was not the case, she decided to carry out her plan. She looked around to make sure no one was watching as she walked over to Osmanova’s table.
But she didn’t realize that the cameras in the tournament hall were already on, in preparation for the event on August 2.
Osmanova, who was later seated at the table where the poison was poured, reportedly became severely dizzy and nauseous shortly after the match began.
She was subsequently admitted to hospital with suspected mercury poisoning.
When the camera footage of the tournament was viewed by a judge, the police were called. Abakarova was caught pouring the substance onto Osmanova’s plate.
Abakarova took what appeared to be a bottle from her bag before pouring it over her rival’s chessboard
Chess officials did not wait for the results of the police report and confirmed that Abakarova (pictured) was immediately stripped of her title of Dagestani chess champion after seeing the footage
Abakarova first placed a bag under a table as she entered the hall, before walking to the table behind it as she looked around to pour the poison over her opponent’s chessboard
‘We have video evidence that shows that one of the players at the Dagestani Chess Championship, Amina Abakarova […]placed an unknown substance, which later turned out to contain mercury, on the table where Umayganat Osmanova was sitting […] would play against her,” Sazhid Sazhidov, Russia’s sports minister, told the Telegraph.
Sazhidov added that he was “stunned” by Abakarova’s attack and that her motives are “incomprehensible.”
Russian police confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the charge of “causing bodily harm”.
However, chess officials did not wait for the results of the police report and confirmed that Abakarova was immediately stripped of her title of Dagestani chess champion after seeing the footage.
Russian Chess Federation director Alexander Tkachyov said his organization is considering banning Abakarova for life but will await the outcome of the police investigation.
