A Russian Chess Player Was Caught on Camera Allegedly Poisoning Her Opponent's Pieces

There is a reason why we often compare situations with many possible outcomes to being "like a game of chess." To become good at chess and life, one has to have top-notch critical thinking skills, the ability to problem-solve, and a penchant for strategy. It's kind of like the movie Minority Report, you almost have to be 10 steps ahead at all times in order to succeed.

Not everyone is cut out for chess and in cases like that, it's best to move on and find another passion. What you shouldn't do is try to kill your opponent. That might be what almost happened when a Russian chess player was caught allegedly poisoning a rival. This goes far beyond a knight taking a rook. Here are the details.

Amina Abakarova is facing some serious charges after she was caught on camera allegedly attempting to poison another player. The surveillance video lasted only 34 seconds but it was enough to see Abakarova walking around a room filled with chessboards and appearing to rub something on one of the boards, then looking around and walking away.

The incident occurred on Aug. 2, 2024, during a competition at the Chess House in Makhachkala. Organizers grew suspicious when a player by the name of Umaiganat Osmanova collapsed while playing on the same chessboard. Officials then reviewed the security footage and phoned police. Dagestan’s sports minister, Sazhid Sazhidov, said in a statement that the substance was tested and found to contain mercury.

Thankfully Osmanova was not seriously injured and Abakarova has been temporarily suspended from all competitions under the authority of the national federation, pending the conclusion of a criminal investigation. Sazhidov went on to say that he was "perplexed by what happened." He added that this could have ended horribly, but now Abakarova "will have to answer for her actions before the law."