Amine Abakarova, a 40-year-old chess champion from the North Caucasus region, faces a lifetime ban after attempting to poison her traditional rival before a local tournament. Abakarova entered the chess hall in Makhachkala, Dagestan, 20 minutes before the start of the Dagestan Chess Championship scheduled for last week. The North Caucasus chess champion poured a chemical substance on another competitor's chessboard, then rubbed the liquid with a chess piece. It later turned out that the chemical was mercury, according to the "Baza" channel on Telegram.
Shortly after the tournament began, her rival, Umiganat Osmanova, felt unwell and experienced dizziness, prompting an ambulance to be called. As a result, the tournament organizers suspended the competitor and evacuated the competition hall after noticing a strange substance on the chessboard. After reviewing CCTV footage with the relevant authorities, Abakarova was arrested and immediately stripped of her title as Dagestan Chess Champion, being temporarily suspended pending the conclusion of the police investigation. According to preliminary information, Abakarova took this action to eliminate her rival from the tournament.
