Foreign media: Russian chess player poisoned opponent who "spoke ill of her" and was caught on camera
2024-08-08
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According to reports from Britain's The Sun and the United States' New York Post on the 7th, a Russian chess player poisoned his opponent because the opponent "spoke bad about him", and this action was caught on surveillance video.
According to reports, on August 2, local time, in Makhachkala, the capital of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, 40-year-old professional chess player Amina Abakarova sneaked into the arena where a chess competition was about to be held, while checking whether anyone noticed her.
The surveillance video shows her walking nonchalantly to one of the tables with chess boards, taking something out of her bag and pouring it on the chessboard. It looked like a dark grey substance, which she then smeared on several chess pieces before putting them back in place. After doing this, she quietly left the room. Prosecutors said what Abakalova poured on the table was mercury.
New York Post report
The report said Abakalova's move was aimed at her long-time rival, 30-year-old Umayganat Osmanova, who was scheduled to compete there later on the 2nd. During the competition, Osmanova suffered symptoms of "severe dizziness and nausea" due to inhaling toxic gases, but she continued to compete and won the prize.
After the referee of the match reported Osmanova's suspicious symptoms to police, who reviewed the surveillance video, Abakalova later admitted to poisoning the player, telling police she broke the thermometer on the table and spilled the mercury on the chessboard.
Abakalova said she was motivated by "personal hostility" towards Osmanova, who had recently defeated her in a match, and allegedly accused her victim of speaking ill of her and her family behind her back.
Currently, Abakalova has been detained by the police and faces charges of "intentional bodily harm". If convicted, she will face up to three years in prison.
Sazhida Sazhidova, a sports official from the Russian Republic of Dagestan, said: "Like many others, I am confused by what happened. The motives of such an experienced athlete as Amina Abakalova are puzzling. The actions she took could have led to the most tragic consequences and threatened the lives of everyone present, including herself. Now she must be held accountable for her actions in accordance with the law."
