A Russian chess player has been suspended after allegedly trying to poison her opponent at a recent tournament, according to a New York Post report. Amina Abakarova, 40, was caught on camera sneaking into the tournament room of the Dagestan Chess Championship, taking something out of her bag and pouring the substance onto a chessboard. The clip showed her rubbing the substance on several pieces. Ms Abakarova then quietly slipped out of the room. The match was scheduled to take place in Makhachkala, a city in southern Russia, said the Post report.
Rusya Satranç Fed., rakibini zehirlemeye çalıştığı iddiasıyla Amina Abakarova’ya ulusal müsabakalardan men cezası verdi.
Görüntülerde Abakarova, rakibini zehirlemek amacıyla oyun tahtasına cıva döküyor. pic.twitter.com/dHjlazcVoy
— Buzz Spor (@buzzspor) August 7, 2024
The Telegraph said she has been arrested and faces up to three years in jail if found guilty.
Ms Abakarova’s opponent was Umayganat Osmanova, her childhood rival. She wanted to take revenge for a personal insult, the outlet further said.
Ms Abakarova’s attempt was discovered after a tournament judge noticed Ms Osmanova’s discomfort. The police were informed and security tapes were checked after which the alleged crime came to light.
Ms Osmanova suffered “severe dizziness and nausea” soon after the game began.
“We have video proof showing that one of the players at the Dagestani chess championship, Amina Abakarova from the city of Makhachkala, applied an unidentified substance, which later turned out to contain mercury, to the table where Umayganat Osmanova from the city of Kaspiisk was set to play against her,” Sazhid Sazhidov, the president of the Russian Republic of Dagestan for physical culture and sports, was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
Ms Abakarova later admitted to the attempted poisoning, telling police she’d broken a thermometre over the table and spread mercury across the board.
Malcolm Pain, English Chess Federation director of international chess, said that he had “never seen anything like this before”.
“This is the first recorded case of somebody using a toxic substance, to my knowledge, in the history of the game of chess. This is off the scale,” he said.
Despite her health scare, Ms Osmanova finished the chess match won one of the top spots, according to reports in Russian media.
