In the heart of Moscow lies Bitsevski Park — a vast stretch of green with over 500 plant species, 33 types of mammals, and 79 species of birds. Locals come here to jog, play, and soak in nature. Among them, a quiet group gathers to play chess beneath the trees. Years ago, sat a teenage boy named Alexander Pichushkin. Quiet. Observant. He played chess with precision — not just for the love of the game, but for the control it offered. At school, he had been mocked, bullied, made to feel small. But in the park, with his fingers on the pieces, he felt powerful. No one knew that beneath his calm demeanor, a darker game was taking shape. In 1992, the first move was made. A man was found dead in the park — the beginning of a string of murders that would stretch for years. Pichushkin wasn’t just playing games anymore. He was chasing a goal: to kill as many people as there are squares on a chessboard. 64. He became known as The Chessboard Killer. This story is a grim reminder: sometimes, evil isn’t hiding in the shadows — it’s sitting across the table, waiting for your next move.
*We were able to obtain a full list of victims that was compiled and posted on a few social media sites. The names and some ages are listed below.
Full List of Victims:
July 27, 1992: Mikhail Odichuk
May 17, 2001: Yevgeny Pronin
May-June 2001: Vyacheslav Klimov
June 22, 2001: Yuri (surname unrevealed)
June 26, 2001: Nicholas Tikhomirov
June 29, 2001: Nicholas Filippov
July 2, 2001: Oleg Lvov
July 13, 2001: G.D. Safonov
July 14, 2001: Sergei Pavlov
July 20, 2001: V.P. Elistratov
July 21, 2001: Viktor Volkov, 54
July 26, 2001: Andrei Konovaltsev
January 18, 2002: Vyacheslav (surname unrevealed)
January 29, 2002: Andrew Veselovsky
February 13, 2002: Yuri Chumakov
February 23, 2002: Maria Viricheva, 19 (survived)
March 7, 2002: Boris Nesterov
March 8, 2002: Alexey Fedorov
March 10, 2002: Mikhail Lobov, 14 (survived)
August 24, 2002: G.M. Chervyakov
August 30, 2002: Egor Kudryavtsev
September 13, 2002: N.I. Ilyinsky
September 25, 2002: V.M. Minayev
September 30, 2002: S.V. Fedorov
November 2, 2002: A. Pushkov
November 12, 2002: V.N. Dolmatov
March 13, 2003: Andrei Maslov
March 27, 2003: V.P. Ilyin
April 4, 2003: Igor Kashtanov
April 6, 2003: Oleg Boyarov
May 10, 2003: V.P. Stanova
May 12, 2003: S.S. Chudin
May-October 2003: Vladimir (surname unrevealed)
October 14, 2003: Vladimir Fomin
November 14, 2003: Vladimir Fedosov
November 15, 2003: Konstantin Polikarpov (survived)
June 8, 2005: Liang Fatkulin
September 28, 2005: Yuri Kuznetsov
October 15, 2005: Nikolai Vorobyov
November 16, 2005: Nikolai Zakharchenko, 63
November 21, 2005: O. Lavrienko
November 28, 2005: V.I. Dudukin
December 6, 2005: Nikolai Koryagin
December 16, 2005: V.N. Soloviev
December 19, 2005: B.A. Grishin
December 26, 2005: A.N. Lyovochkin
February 27, 2006: J.N. Romashkin
March 4, 2006: Stepan Vasilenko
March 24, 2006: M.A. Joldoshev
April 12, 2006: Larissa Kulygina
June 14, 2006: Marina Moskalyova, 36
Sources:
Wikipedia – Alexander Pichuskin - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Pichushkin
The Toronto Star – ‘For me a life without murder is like life without food for you’ – Misha Japaridze - August 14, 2007
Murderous Minds – Season 3, Episode 3 – Alexander Pichuskin: Chessboard Killer
The La Crosse Tribue – Russan who claims to have killed 63 to go on trial – August 14, 2007
The Windsor Star – Mass Murderer given life term – James Kilner – October 30, 2007
Kentucky New Era – Russian accused of 49 murders says 1st was like ‘first love’ – October 9, 2007
Wikipedia – Bitsa Park Moscow - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitsa_Park,_Moscow
Cleveland Clinic – Frontal Lobe - https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24501-frontal-lobe
Full Victims List - https://www.reddit.com/r/serialkillers/comments/cd2n2n/complete_list_of_alexander_pichushkins_victims/
Wikipedia – Polar Owl - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_Owl
Serial Killers Info – Alexander Pichushkin – AKA The Chessboard Killer – Rick Jr. Paulson – May 17, 2018 - https://serialkillersinfo.com/serial-killers/alexander-pichushkin-the-chessboard-killer/
Independent – He’s confessed to murdering 48. Now Russia’s chessboard killer will admit to 11 more – Felix Light – April 5, 2025 - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/russia-chessboard-killer-confess-11-murders-b2727971.html
All thats interesting - The Disturbing Story of Alexander Pichushkin, the Russian ‘Chessboard Killer’ Who Strove to Kill 64 Victims – Katie Serena - June 30, 2022 https://allthatsinteresting.com/alexander-pichushkin
