Amina Abakarova, 40, has admitted to placing mercury near the board where her long-time rival Umayganat Osmanova, 30, was set to compete.
Osmanova fell ill with “severe dizziness and nausea” after playing in the Dagestan Chess Championship in Makhachkala, southern Russia.
Abakarova is accused of surreptitiously pouring mercury from a thermometer onto Osmanova’s board and then spreading it with a chess piece.
The incident was reported to the police by the tournament’s judge, and CCTV footage later seemed to show Abakarova near the board.
Abakarova has been detained and faces up to three years in prison if convicted. Dagestan’s Minister of Sport, Sazhida Sazhidova, expressed confusion about Abakarova’s actions, stating that her behavior could have had disastrous consequences for everyone present, including herself, and that she must now face legal consequences.
Abakarova reportedly cited “personal hostility” toward Osmanova, who had recently defeated her in a regional competition, as her motive. She also accused Osmanova of making rude comments about her and her family behind her back.
Last year, Abakarova won the North Caucasus Federal District Chess Championship in Pyatigorsk. She works as a chess coach at a school in Makhachkala, while Osmanova operates her own chess school.
Despite the poisoning, Osmanova continued in the tournament and won a prize. She is seeking the “maximum punishment” for Abakarova.
Abakarova is charged with “intentional infliction of bodily harm,” and her friends claim that her alleged actions are “completely out of character.”
