The clip showed her rubbing the substance on several pieces. Ms Abakarova then quietly slipped out of the room. The match was scheduled to take place in Makhachkala, a city in southern Russia, said the Post report.
Rusya Satranç Fed., rakibini zehirlemeye çalıştığı iddiasıyla Amina Abakarova'ya ulusal müsabakalardan men cezası verdi.
— Buzz Spor (@buzzspor) August 7, 2024
Görüntülerde Abakarova, rakibini zehirlemek amacıyla oyun tahtasına cıva döküyor. pic.twitter.com/dHjlazcVoy
The Telegraph said she has been arrested and faces up to three years in jail if found guilty.
Ms Abakarova's opponent was Umayganat Osmanova, her childhood rival. She wanted to take revenge for a personal insult, the outlet further said.
Ms Abakarova's attempt was discovered after a tournament judge noticed Ms Osmanova's discomfort. The police were informed and security tapes were checked after which the alleged crime came to light.
Ms Osmanova suffered "severe dizziness and nausea" soon after the game began.
"We have video proof showing that one of the players at the Dagestani chess championship, Amina Abakarova from the city of Makhachkala, applied an unidentified substance, which later turned out to contain mercury, to the table where Umayganat Osmanova from the city of Kaspiisk was set to play against her," Sazhid Sazhidov, the president of the Russian Republic of Dagestan for physical culture and sports, was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
Ms Abakarova later admitted to the attempted poisoning, telling police she'd broken a thermometre over the table and spread mercury across the board.
Malcolm Pain, English Chess Federation director of international chess, said that he had "never seen anything like this before".
