The Chessboard Killer

6.86
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Ratings: 6.86/10 from 14 users.

The Chessboard KillerA Russian serial killer who invited his victims to drink vodka with him before bludgeoning them to death with a hammer has been convicted of 48 counts of murder after a trial that shocked and entranced a nation.

Alexander Pichushkin, a supermarket porter better known in the Russian press as the chessboard killer, sat in silence as a jury foreman read out 48 successive and unanimous guilty verdicts.

Dressed in a grey V-necked jumper, the 33-year-old showed no emotion and no remorse as a judge confirmed the verdicts and ruled that there were no mitigating circumstances - a pronouncement that means Pichushkin almost certainly faces life in prison.

Pichushkin, who never denied the murders but refused to enter a plea, can have expected nothing less. For him, psychiatrists said, the real punishment came from being denied the title of Russia’s most prolific serial killer.

At the beginning of his trial the trial, Pichushkin complained of unfair treatment at being charged with only 48 murders. In fact, he claimed, he had killed 63 - 13 more than Andrei Chikatilo, known as the Rostov Ripper, who was convicted of 50 murders in a 1992 trial.

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35 Comments / User Reviews

  1. JOHN GATTON

    whats his slogan LETS GETS HAMMERED ha ha

  2. Mistymoo

    IT WAS always going to happen , brain injury , bullying etc them poor victims did not stand a chance

  3. Mistymoo

    AMAZING doco

  4. Buddha_Egg

    Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths surrounding serial killers and a lot of misinformation from talking-head pundits, who haven't the foggiest idea what they are talking about.

    Steven A. Egger, Ph.D., author of The KIllers Among Us: An Examination of Serial Murder and its Investigation.

  5. anne ramsay

    well then what are you commenting on if you didn't even watch the flick? Jackass!!

  6. Greg_Mc

    I didn't know chess was a full contact sport.

    Was going to watch it then saw it was an A&E show which very quickly put an end to any interest I had in watching it

    1. Mistymoo

      bite the bullet and watch it

  7. Michael Danger Gee

    this is a crap doc, its far to dumbed down and sensationalised, far too average american crap!

  8. Ghost_Buster

    head injury+russian vodka+chess= serial killer
    this guy is an abomination, but the one who killed 98 recently has beaten em all.

    1. James W. Roe

      70+ i wuold say...98 was non official news

    2. Buddha_Egg

      And who pray tell was that?

  9. superregfrancis

    Lets not talk in ''evil mumbo jumbo''... Its not how the doco is presented its what facts are presented:
    A major city's police force have a serial killer at large-- they are virtually told who it is, but do nothing.. even when the killer leaves many bodies scattered around a city park.
    What does this tell us? Governments and their law enforcement is discretionary. A city will function (but horribly) with the rich looking after them selves and forgetting the rest

  10. His Forever

    Evil is as evil does. You can't blame this on his childhood or brain damage from an accident. He's just plain evil.

    1. JackT

      That doesn't exist. That's a human thought-creation.

    2. His Forever

      Good point! Darkness is just the absence of light and so "evil" is just the absense of goodness. However, "evil" surely feels real enough when you encounter it.

      P.S. Watch the doc. "Is There a Sixth Sense?" for thoughts on how real human thought-creations can be.

    3. Tamryn Louise

      I suggest you read up a bit on psychology and scientific studies on this subject matter before spewing superstitious nonsense. Since he has sustained a head injury it is highly likely the cause. if not, the result of an unfortunate childhood.

    4. Buddha_Egg

      You obviously know very little about serial killers!

    5. Tamryn Louise

      Yes and so does everyone else who is qualified in psychology apparently... Please.

    6. Mistymoo

      hear the facts - he had a brain injury - helllooo

  11. SillyWillyOneNut

    hilarious, laughed the whole way through !

  12. superregfrancis

    Who cares about the way its presented...the point is that a Major city can Function to a degree without an operational police force!!! Moscow police were told who was murdering people and leaving bodies scattered around the city park- but did nothing??? As I suspected country's run them selves .... Governments only protect the rich who pay them the 'readys'.

    1. Mistymoo

      agree

  13. Guest

    Brings a new Tone to the Peter,Paul and Mary song" IF I had A Hammer"

  14. Brandon Schultz

    Wild story, but a stupid American style doc. The attitude towards the acts of violence is basically pornographic. I like serial killer docs when they are done properly, but this presentation showed little understanding for the reality of the crimes. You're probably better off finding a written account of this killer than watching this one.

    1. Greg_Mc

      Have yet to watch the doc but the fact more than one person has called it an American style doc is making me leery about viewing it. One of the great things about this site and the internet in general is that I get to watch some shows, docs etc that are not American made (I am Canadian and most of the channels we get on TV are American, lol which besides some good sit coms is mostly crap. Canada produces some good docs and investigative journalism type shows but generally isnt great but has gotten a lot better the last 5 years or so) so I not only get a different perspective on some topics but the style of the shows are not all hype and sensationalism. I must say I think the BBC does an excellent job on their docs and TV shows, well the very few tv shows I get to see.

  15. Janis Paegle

    good movie, shows us not to trust every 1 who seems nice

    1. SillyWillyOneNut

      another one bites the dust !

  16. cezy

    if the motive for this guy's murders was a thirst for fame, why should we give him satisfaction and watch this (pretty poorly shot )documentary? in fact, i'm not watching it anymore. see what else is on offer...

  17. frownhound

    22% of the population of the world? What, are serial killers -- or chess players?

    1. Tyrell LIddell

      Chess playing serial killers. They're all over the place.

  18. Kathleen

    no. It's an education in psychopathy. If you want to close your eyes to 22% of the population of the World and allow them to victimize and affect society which will eventually affect you in many ways - then fine - close your eyes and put cotton balls in your ears. Watch Disney movies instead. But if you want to be aware of a very real part of society - learn from this film.

    1. Sabin Russell

      what should we do go around asking people if they are serial killers and then kill them?

  19. vulturewoman

    haven't watched this type of American style documentary in a while, and I know why. It is very uncomfortable to listen to this sensationalist garbage, almost celebrating their crimes with fancy catch-phrases. I'd rather ignore these such docs, cause these murderers deserve no attention...

    1. Yavanna

      Yup its like listening to and / or watching a budweiser commercial

    2. Daniel Levermore

      he should have left the last one alone.