“Like many others, I am perplexed by what happened, and the motives of such an experienced competitor as Amina Abakarova are incomprehensible,” he said.
“The actions she took could have led to a most tragic outcome, threatening the lives of everyone who was present, including herself. Now she must answer for what she did by the law.”
Malcolm Pain, English Chess Federation director of international chess, said that he had “never seen anything like this before”.
“This is the first recorded case of somebody using a toxic substance, to my knowledge, in the history of the game of chess,” he told The Telegraph. “This is off the scale.”
He said that “psychological” tactics were normally wielded in the world of chess, with players sometimes going to extreme lengths to throw off their opponents.
Abakarova is said to have told other competitors at the tournament that her actions were to “take revenge” for “nasty things [Osmanova said] about her and her relatives behind her back” and that the attack was fuelled solely by “personal hostility” and to “scare” Osmanova.
Despite the scare, Osmanova continued in the tournament and won one of the prize places, according to reports in Russian media.
Alexander Tkachyov, the Russian Chess Federation executive director, told Russian news agency TASS his organisation was considering giving Abakarova a lifetime ban.
“We are waiting for the investigation from law enforcement bodies,” Tkachyov said.
“If the other chess player is found guilty, our [RCF] reaction will be stiff, possibly a lifetime ban.”
He added: “We regret that such an incident took place at a chess tournament.
“We have no doubt that law enforcement bodies will get to the bottom of the incident and we wish the injured player a quick recovery and that she is back at a chessboard as soon as possible.”
The Telegraph, London
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