Biography[]
Alexander Yuryevich Pichushkin (Russian: Алекса́ндр Ю́рьевич Пичу́шкин), born in 1974, and also known as The Chessboard Killer (Russian: Убийца с шахматной доской) and The Bitsa Park Maniac (Russian: Битцевский маньяк), is a Russian serial killer.
Early life[]
Alexander Pichushkin was born on April 9, 1974, in Mytishchi, a suburb of Moscow, Russia. Raised by his single mother, he experienced a troubled childhood. Pichushkin's father had been killed in the Soviet war in Afghanistan when he was just a baby. As a child, Pichushkin suffered a severe head injury in a fall from a swing, leading to noticeable changes in his behavior.
Obsession with Chess[]
Pichushkin developed an early fascination with chess, which he played passionately. The game became an integral part of his life, and he even claimed to have a goal of committing as many murders as there are squares on a chessboard — 64. Pichushkin kept a chessboard with dates corresponding to his murders, marking each square as he committed a crime.
Murder Spree[]
Pichushkin's killing spree began in 1992 but escalated significantly in the early 2000s. He targeted primarily elderly homeless men, luring them with the promise of alcohol. His modus operandi involved using blunt objects, such as a hammer or a metal rod, to bludgeon his victims. Pichushkin often left a vodka bottle at the crime scene as a grim calling card.
Capture and Trial[]
On June 16, 2006, Pichushkin was arrested after attempting to lure a potential victim into the same Moscow park where he had committed many of his murders. He was charged with 49 murders, making him one of Russia's most prolific serial killers. During the trial, Pichushkin showed little remorse, describing the killings as a form of cleansing society. He was found guilty of 48 murders and three attempted murders.
Conviction and Sentence[]
On October 24, 2007, Alexander Pichushkin was convicted of his crimes and sentenced to life in prison. Russian law at the time did not allow for consecutive life sentences, so Pichushkin's sentence was the maximum possible. He is serving his sentence in a high-security prison.
Victims[]
| # | Name | Age | Date of Death | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikhail Odichuk | 18 | July 27, 1992 | |
| 2 | Yevgeny Pronin | 52 | May 17, 2001 | |
| 3 | Vyacheslav Klimov | 64 | May 23, 2001 | |
| 4 | "Yuri" | June 22, 2001 | ||
| 5 | Nikolai Tikhomirov | 65 | June 26, 2001 | |
| 6 | Nikolai Filippov | 72 | June 29, 2001 | |
| 7 | Oleg Lvov | 49 | July 2, 2001 | |
| 8 | Gennady Safonov | 61 | July 13, 2001 | |
| 9 | Sergei Pavlov | 44 | July 14, 2001 | |
| 10 | Viktor Elistratov | 45 | July 20, 2001 | |
| 11 | Viktor Volkov | 54 | July 21, 2001 | |
| 12 | Andrei Konovaltsev | 22 | July 26, 2001 | |
| 13 | Andrei Veselovsky | 42 | January 29, 2002 | |
| 14 | Yuri Chumakov | 48 | February 13, 2002 | |
| 15 | Vera Zakharova | 48 | February 27, 2002 | |
| 16 | Boris Nesterov | 46 | March 7, 2002 | |
| 17 | Alexey Fedorov | 41 | March 8, 2002 | |
| 18 | German Chervyakov | 43 | August 24, 2002 | |
| 19 | Nikolai Ilyinsky | 40 | September 13, 2002 | |
| 20 | Vyacheslav Minayev | September 25, 2002 | ||
| 21 | Sergei Fedorov | 42 | September 30, 2002 | |
| 22 | Alexey Pushkov | 46 | November 2, 2002 | |
| 23 | Valery Dolmatov | November 12, 2002 | ||
| 24 | Alexey Fatkullin | 72 | March 13, 2003 | |
| 25 | Viktor Ilyin | March 27, 2003 | ||
| 26 | Igor Kashtanov | 62 | April 4, 2003 | |
| 27 | Oleg Boyarov | April 6, 2003 | ||
| 28 | Vasily Stanovoy | 40 | May 10, 2003 | |
| 29 | Sergei Chudin | 45 | May 12, 2003 | |
| 30 | Egor Kudryavtsev | August 30, 2003 | ||
| 31 | Vladimir Fomin | October 14, 2003 | ||
| 32 | Vladimir Fedosov | 44 | November 14, 2003 | |
| 33 | Peter Dudukin | 57 | February 22, 2005 | |
| 34 | Andrei Maslov | 40 | June 8, 2005 | |
| 35 | Yuri Kuznetsov | 46 | September 28, 2005 | |
| 36 | Nikolai Vorobyov | 31 | October 15, 2005 | |
| 37 | Nikolai Zakharchenko | 63 | November 16, 2005 | |
| 38 | Oleg Lavrienko | 36 | November 21, 2005 | |
| 39 | Vladimir Dudukin | 73 | November 28, 2005 | |
| 40 | Nikolai Koryagin | 72 | December 6, 2005 | |
| 41 | Viktor Soloviev | 49 | December 16, 2005 | |
| 42 | Boris Grishin | 64 | December 19, 2005 | |
| 43 | Alexander Lyovochkin | 51 | December 26, 2005 | |
| 44 | Yuri Romashkin | 55 | February 27, 2006 | |
| 45 | Stepan Vasilenko | 68 | March 4, 2006 | |
| 46 | Makhmud Joldoshev | 24 | March 24, 2006 | |
| 47 | Larissa Kulygina | 48 | April 12, 2006 | |
| 48 | Marina Moskalyova | 36 | June 14, 2006 |
Survivors[]
| Name | Age | Date of Attack | Method of Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Viricheva | 19 | February 23, 2002 | |
| Mikhail Lobov | 14 | March 10, 2002 | |
| Konstantin Polikarpov | 31 | November 15, 2003 |
Timeline[]
Bibliography[]
Literature[]
- Harrington, Roger (2018). Alexander Pichushkin: The Shocking True Story of The Chessboard Killer, Amazon Digital Services LLC.. ISBN 978-1983033735
- Kepler, Lars (2018). The Sandman, Penguin Random House LLC.. ISBN 978-0525433057
Articles[]
- "Alexander Pichushkin". Biography (April 2, 2014).
- Savodnik, Peter (April 30, 2009). "The Chessboard Killer". GQ (Article). Archived from the original on January 18, 2021.
- Serena, Katie (June 30, 2022). The Disturbing Story Of Alexander Pichushkin, The Russian ‘Chessboard Killer’ Who Strove To Kill 64 Victims. All That's Interesting.
Documentaries[]
Television[]
- Discovery — Serial killers: Chessboard Killer (2009)[link needed]
YouTube Documentaries[]
- Russia's most FEARED criminal (*MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY*), MrBallen on YouTube
Podcasts[]
- Alexander Pichushkin - Part 1. Serial Killers with Greg Polcyn & Vanessa Richardson.
- Alexander Pichushkin - Part 2. Serial Killers with Greg Polcyn & Vanessa Richardson.
- My Favorite Murder, Episode 23: "Making A Twenty-Thirderer"[link needed]
- Rotten Mango, Episode 24 - The Chessboard Killer[link needed]
- And That's Why We Drink, Episode 269 - Cardiologically Speaking and a Magical Scarf Swoosh, Part 1 (April 3, 2022)[link needed]
- And That's Why We Drink, Episode 270 - A Gold-Dipped Pickle and the Empurrress, Part 2 (April 10, 2022)[link needed]
In popular culture[]
Film adaptation[]
Music[]
- The Finnish death metal band Torture Killer made a studio album Sewers dedicated to Pichushkin.
- One of the tracks of Norwegian death/thrash metal band Exeloume ("The Bitsa Maniac") is dedicated to Pichushkin.
Related Articles[]
See also[]
Links[]
- Alexander Pichushkin at Wikipedia
- Alexander Pichushkin on IMDb