A Russian chess player is under investigation after being caught on camera allegedly sprinkling her opponent’s chessboard with what authorities claim was a mercury-containing substance in an attempt to poison them before a match last week.
Amina Abakarova faces a potential lifetime ban and possible criminal charges, according to Russian authorities, following the incident during a tournament in the Caucasus republic of Dagestan. The Russian Chess Federation issued a statement on Wednesday about what it called “an attempt to poison a participant in the Dagestan Republic Championship in Makhachkala,” referring to the capital of Dagestan.
The statement said that Abakarova has been temporarily suspended from all competitions under the federation’s authority, pending the completion of a criminal investigation.
Russian Chess Player Accused of Attempting to Poison Opponent with Mercury, Video Released
The statement is linked to a video of the incident circulated by Baza, a Telegram news channel.
The 34-second surveillance footage allegedly shows Abakarova walking around a room with chess tables set up for a tournament and appearing to rub something on one of the boards before looking around and leaving.
Baza reported that the incident occurred last Friday during a tournament at the Chess House in Makhachkala. One of the participants who sat at a table with a tainted board fell ill during the tournament, Baza cited eyewitnesses as saying, adding that the organizers called the police after reviewing the surveillance video that evening.
The channel identified the woman who fell ill as Umaiganat Osmanova.
Sazhid Sazhidov, the Minister of Sports of Dagestan, issued a statement on the messaging app Telegram on Wednesday, claiming that Abakarova, who hails from Makhachkala and had previously won the tournament, spread a substance that was later found to contain mercury on the table used by Osmanova.
“As a result, during the match, Osmanova’s health deteriorated and she sought medical attention. However, no one else was injured,” he said.
“At the moment, the lives of the participants and guests of the competition are not in danger,” Sazhidov said, adding that the tournament will conclude on Thursday.
“Like many others, I am shocked by what happened,” he added. Sazhidov said Abakarova’s alleged actions “could have led to the most tragic outcome; they threatened the lives of everyone present in the chess house, including herself. She will now have to answer for her actions before the law.”
