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Russian chess player filmed 'smearing poison' on opponent's pieces

By T.K. Randall
August 10, 2024 · Comment icon 6 comments
Chess pieces
One player fell ill after being exposed to the poison. Image Credit: Pixabay / stevepb
A prominent Russian chess player is under criminal investigation following an apparent poisoning attempt.
Chess can be a tough game, especially when you are playing against some of the world's best players at a tournament, which is perhaps why one prominent player recently decided to enact a devilish plot designed to take her opponent out of the game without actually having to beat them.

According to reports, video footage captured the moment Amina Abakarova tried to poison her opponent by smearing mercury from a thermometer onto their pieces.

The tournament itself took place in the Caucasus republic of Dagestan.

Unsurprisingly, Abakarova now faces not only criminal charges but also a permanent ban from chess pending the outcome of the police investigation into her actions.
Her rival, Umayganat Osmanova, did in fact handle the poisoned pieces and later fell ill, which is what prompted officials to look back over the footage in the first place.

"As a result, during the game Osmanova's health worsened and she required medical attention," said Dagestan's sports minister Sazhid Sazhidov. "However, no one else was hurt."

"At the moment, the lives of the participants and guests of the competition are not in danger."

"Like many others, I am perplexed by what happened."



Source: NBC News | Comments (6)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Grim Reaper 6 5 months ago
What’s wrong with these Russians, they need to prosecute her to the maximum limit allowed..
Comment icon #2 Posted by Cho Jinn 5 months ago
The tournament itself took place in the Caucasus republic of Dagestan. "Russians"
Comment icon #3 Posted by pellinore 5 months ago
I looked up how long it takes for mercury poisoning to take effect from handling it: 3 or 4 hours to start to lose coordination. Length of a tournament game can be up to 3 hours. So, it could be an effective ploy, especially at the start of a series of games. Pretty stupid though, as someone who becomes ill unexpectedly is likely to have all sorts of blood tests and Russians and poisonings go together like a horse and carriage.  
Comment icon #4 Posted by jethrofloyd 5 months ago
Remind me of the old movie The Seventh Seal.where a character play the chess game with the Grim Reaper during the Black Death..    
Comment icon #5 Posted by Oniomancer 4 months ago
In this case it's not necessarily just russians. High-level chess players have a tendency to be mentally imbalanced, or end up that way. (glances toward the chess tournament thread)
Comment icon #6 Posted by Grim Reaper 6 4 months ago
So, in other words because they are very intelligent they are walking that thin line between sanity and madness. I wasn’t aware of that thanks for you reply.


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