Russian chess player allegedly poisons opponent during tournament, suspended

In a shocking incident, the Russian Chess Federation has suspended Amina Abakarova, a chess player for allegedly attempting to poison her opponent during a match at a chess tournament. According to a telegram channel that reported the story first, Abarakova has been accused of attempting to poison Umayganat Osmanova during the Dagestan Chess Championship on 2 August and is reportedly facing jail time.

Abakarova is a 40 year-old chess coach from Makhachkala in Dagestan. As per a CCTV camera footage, Abakarova could be seen approaching the table of her opponent, who was to reach after 20 minutes.

Abakarova had reportedly asked if the CCTV cameras had been working, and she was informed that they were not. It was at this moment when Abakarova spilled thermometer mercury near the chessboard.

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A chess tournament in the Russian republic of Dagestan took a dramatic turn when a player was accused of poisoning her opponent with mercury.

Amina Abakarova approached her opponent's table before the start of the match and spilled mercury near the chessboard. pic.twitter.com/vh2YpVmpDU

— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) August 7, 2024

Half an hour later, Osmanova complained of nausea and dizziness, and received immediate medical help. The doctors then declared that Osmanova could likely have been poisoned and after a review of the security camera footage, the arbiter informed the police, who then detained Abakarova, as reported by rtv1.com.

On realising she had been poisoned, Osmanova said that she felt “terrible, disgusting, and morally depressed”. She added that another player and the organisation’s member had also fallen ill. “I still feel bad. In the first minutes, I felt a lack of air and a taste of iron in my mouth. I had to spend about five hours on this board. I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t seen it earlier,” Osmanova was quoted as saying by Russia Today.

Abakarova reportedly had “personal hostility” against Osmanova and was eager to “knock her opponent out of the tournament”. Russian media reported that Abakarova’s plan was to scare her, and not harm her instead.
As per a report in The Mirror, Abakarova faces jail time of up to three years. Andrey Filatov, Russian Chess Federation’s president, informed that Abakarova has been suspended from Russian chess tournaments, with an investigation pending, and also faces a ban from chess for life. Sazhida Sazhidova, Dagestan’s Sports Minister expressed shock over the incident.

“Like many others, I am perplexed by what happened, and the motives of such an experienced competitor as Amina Abakarova are incomprehensible. The actions she took could have led to a most tragic outcome, threatening the lives of everyone who was present, including herself. Now she must answer for what she did by the law,” Sazhidov said.

Even after falling ill, Osmanova played the rest of the tournament and finished in second place, eventually winning a prize. After the fourth round of the tournament, Abakarova was expelled and it seems unlikely if she will play chess again soon.