Russian chess champion caught poisoning childhood rival with mercury

The world of chess has been rocked after a Russian chess champion attempted to poison her childhood rival by covering her pieces in deadly mercury.

Now facing a possible prison sentence, Amina Abakarova, 43, was caught on a security camera smearing her rival’s pieces with the substance ahead of a tournament in Makhachkala, southern Russia last week.

According to the World Health Organisation, even minor exposure to mercury can have serious health consequences.