Episode 70: Serial Killer - Alexander Pichushkin

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