What we know about the poisoning of a Russian chess player

In what can only be described as a truly disturbing situation, one chess player decided to take things to another level in terms of defeating her opponent and now finds herself in police custody as a result of her actions.

Chess game turns sinister in Russia

According to Russian state media reports, Amina Abakarova - a chess coach from Makhachkala, Russia - has been arrested and accused of poisoning an opponent with mercury. Citing outlets both inside and outside of Russia, a country in which chess is hugely popular, the report indicates that the 40-year-old now faces up to three years in prison and the possibility of a lifetime ban from chess.

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As per reports, the alleged incident saw Abakarova attempt to poison a younger rival, Umayganat Osmanova, at the Dagestan Chess Championship. Video footage appears to show Abakarova smearing mercury from a thermometer on the chair of her opponent before the match began. Not long after taking her seat in front of the board, Osmanova started to feel at which point she called for emergency medical assistance.

“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 told the Russian state news outlet RT. Incredibly, Osmanova is reported to have recovered from her illness before going on to finish the tournament in second place. Where motives are concerned, it is understood that Abakarova told police she was motivated by “personal hostility.” As per reports, she remains in the custody of police.