FIDE assesses scandal with poisoning of chess player at tournament in Dagestan

MOSCOW, August 7, Oleg Bogatov. The President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Arkady Dvorkovich said that he allows for a possible lifelong disqualification of Dagestani chess player Amina Abakarova after an attempt to poison a competitor, but everything will depend on the results of the investigation into the incident by law enforcement agencies.
Earlier, Dagestan Sports Minister Sazhid Sazhidov reported that at the Dagestan championship, Abakarova treated the table at which her opponent Umayganat Osmanova was to play with mercury compounds. The President of the Russian Chess Federation (RCF) Andrey Filatov announced the temporary suspension of Abakarova from all competitions held under the auspices of the RCF until the conclusion of law enforcement agencies, on the basis of which a final decision will be made, up to and including a lifetime disqualification.
«This depends on the results of the investigation. But in general, yes, everything is possible,» Dvorkovich said, answering the question of whether the athlete could be punished with a lifetime disqualification.