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13 Unsettling Facts About Alexander Pichushkin, The Chessboard Killer

Amanda Sedlak-Hevener
Updated September 8, 2022 233.3K views 13 items

While he might not be as well-known as some American serial killers, Alexander Pichushkin alleged to killing at least 60 people in Russia. He started in the early ‘90s and often targeted elderly or transient men, some of which he had formerly played chess with, in the nearby park. In 2006, authorities arrested Pichushkin for the murder of a female coworker. He then admitted to dozens of murders, telling authorities he attacked his victims and left their bodies in Moscow's Bitsevski (Bitsa) Park and sewer drains. Before his arrest, locals referred to the unknown killer as the “Bitsa Park Maniac.”

Pichushkin said he wanted to kill enough people to fill the squares on a chessboard - earning him the infamous “Chessboard Killer” name. Investigators discovered a chessboard with approximately 61 spaces marked off in his Moscow home. Pichushkin, like other serial killers, kept his own unique trophy to document his kills: a log with the date each of his victims died. Russian authorities convicted Pichushkin in 2007 for 48 murders. 
 

  • He Competed To Out-Kill The 'Rostov Ripper'

    He Competed To Out-Kill The 'Rostov Ripper'

    Pichushkin first committed murder in 1992 - the same year the police convicted fellow Russian citizen, Andrei Chikatilo, of mutilating and killing 52 people. At the time, Chikatilo - known as the “Rostov Ripper” - was Russia’s most notorious serial killer. Pichushkin said he dreamed of surpassing Chikatilo and intended to kill 64 people, equaling the squares on a chessboard. Pichushkin never completed his chessboard murders, but he did confess to killing 61 people.

    Pichushkin told authorities he first planned to kill with his friend, Mikhail Odiychuk. Pichushkin turned on his former classmate and beat the 18-year-old to death. During his trial, Pichushkin told the courts: "A first killing is like your first love. You never forget it."
     

  • A Childhood Accident Damaged The Frontal Lobe Of His Brain

    A Childhood Accident Damaged The Frontal Lobe Of His Brain

    When Pichushkin was 4 years old, he fell backward off of a swing. The chain reared back and hit him in the head, damaging the frontal lobe of his brain. After the accident, Pichushkin’s mother sent him to a special school for the disabled, which Pichushkin reportedly found traumatic. 

    Neuroscientists maintain a connection between damage to the frontal lobe of the brain and “neuropsychiatric abnormalities,” such as aggressive behavior and psychopathy. Researchers have found a link between such injuries and criminal violence. Psychiatrists propose Pichushkin developed a propensity toward violence after suffering a sharp personality change due to his childhood injury. 

    Pichushkin's childhood neighbors report before the accident the now-killer was "pleasant" and expressed great empathy for animals.

  • He Began Killing When He Was 18 - And Killed Two Of His Friends

    He Began Killing When He Was 18 - And Killed Two Of His Friends

    In 1992, 18-year-old Pichushkin invited one of his friends, Mikhail Odiychuk, with him on a "killing expedition." They began walking around, trying to find someone to kill. When it became clear that Odiychuk wasn't as committed to the act, Pichushkin killed him instead of a random victim. 

    Pichushkin also said he threw a romantic rival out of a window the same year. According to Pichushkin, his girlfriend Olga broke up with him and began dating his friend Sergei. In response, Pichushkin killed him, although the circumstances of Sergei's death led the police to declare it a suicide, not a homicide. He also later attested to killing Olga as well, although authorities have not confirmed this claim.

    Pichushkin didn’t continue killing until 2001, when he reportedly made a list of acquaintances he intended to murder: "The closer the person is to you, the more pleasant it is to kill them. […] It’s more emotional."
     

  • He Kept A Record Of Every Person He Killed

    He Kept A Record Of Every Person He Killed

    Some killers take “souvenirs” from their victims, such as small personal items like jewelry or organic “trophies” like body parts. Others recreate an homage to their murders, like Pichushkin. According to forensic psychologists, a serial killer keeps some kind of souvenir to “maintain the bridge between his dreamed desires and the reality of acting out his fantasy.”

    Pichushkin kept a small notebook in his pocket on which he had sketched out a chessboard. Each square had a date written in it that corresponded to one of his alleged murders. At the time of his arrest, the 33-year-old had filled in approximately 61 of the 64 squares on the chessboard. He later admitted that once he completed the board, he would have continued to kill “indefinitely.”
     

  • The 'Maniac' Terrorized Bitsa Park 

    The 'Maniac' Terrorized Bitsa Park 

    Bitsa Park, the nickname for Moscow's Bitsevsky Park, consists of 2,700 acres of woods. Pichushkin lived only a six-minute walk from the edge of the park. Locals describe the area near the park as a “bad” neighborhood, in part because an unknown assailant - dubbed the “Bitsa Park Maniac” - killed almost a dozen people there in the early 2000s. The easy access to the park and the homeless people who lived around it are two reasons why Pichushkin said he chose it as his hunting ground. 

    At first, Pichushkin hid his victims' bodies in a nearby sewage works. After four years, he began to leave their bodies where they died - right out in the open, along the pathways and other areas of Bitsa Park - or in the stream that ran through the park.
     

  • Pichushkin Killed Most Of His Victims With Blunt Force Trauma

    Pichushkin Killed Most Of His Victims With Blunt Force Trauma

    Pichushkin lured some of his male victims into the park under the ruse of visiting his dead dog’s grave. After he provided his victims with a sufficient amount of alcohol to intoxicate them, he would hit them in the back of the head with a blunt object, like a hammer, a wrench, a log, or a metal pipe. 

    He claimed to aim for the back of the head to avoid getting blood on his clothing. He often left the murder weapon near the body. By 2005, Pichushkin’s crimes escalated. He spent less time concealing the bodies and reportedly inserted an empty bottle of vodka into the indentations in his victim's skulls. 
     

  • Many Of His Victims Were Homeless Men

    Many Of His Victims Were Homeless Men

    Pichushkin predominantly killed homeless, senior men. His father abandoned the family when Pichushkin was a year old, and his grandfather - and surrogate father - died when Pichushkin was a child. Psychologists speculate a correlation between the age of his victims and his reported childhood abandonment.

    Pichushkin maintained he chose known alcoholics and drug addicts out of convenience. Investigators also propose he selected victims who would not be immediately missed.
     

  • He Also Killed His Neighbors

    He Also Killed His Neighbors

    Prior to his 2006 arrest, Pichushkin lived with his mother in an apartment in south Moscow. He had lived in the suburban high-rise most of his life. As a child, he played in the nearby Bitsa Park. Over the years, the apartment complex became overcrowded and “dank.” Reportedly, at least 10 of his victims were neighbors, and three had lived in his complex.

    One neighbor commented on the prolific killer’s “murder spree.” He described Pichushkin as somewhat reclusive and noted how Pichushkin would invite neighbors to walk with him in the park. He also relayed how the deaths shocked the inhabitants of the area: "Pichushkin killed people from almost every building on this street - the neighborhood is still terrified."
     

  • He Got Caught After He Murdered His Co-Worker

    He Got Caught After He Murdered His Co-Worker

    Authorities suspect Pichushkin killed at least three women. Reportedly, the few women he killed were people he took on dates. Then 19-year-old Maria Viricheva is one of three known victims who survived an attack from the Chessboard Killer. Police refused to investigate Viricheva’s claims. They also discredited the account of another surviving victim, a 14-year-old homeless boy. The third survivor suffered extensive head trauma and could not testify against Pichushkin. 

    His last victim - and one of his only female victims - was 36-year-old Marina Moskaloyova. She was a coworker of Pichushkin's at a local grocery store. The two went on a walk in Bitsa Park when he killed her. Reportedly, Moskaloyova left a note at home with Pichushkin’s phone number on it. When authorities found her body, they discovered a metro ticket in her pocket. After reviewing security tapes, investigators saw Pichushkin with Moskaloyova and arrested him on suspicion of murder.
     

  • He Confessed On National Television

    He Confessed On National Television

    Authorities apprehended Pichushkin in June 2006. They originally arrested him for the murder of Marina Moskaloyova, but he confessed - on air - to having killed at least 60 other people. Media outlets broadcasted the confession nationally, allowing Russian citizens to hear Pichushkin’s criminal mindset firsthand: "For me, a life without murder is like a life without food for you."

    After extensive evaluations, Russian psychiatrists deemed Pichushkin “sane” and able to stand trial in 2007 for 48 murders.

  • He Spent His Time In The Courtroom Locked In A Glass Cage

    He Spent His Time In The Courtroom Locked In A Glass Cage

    During his trial, Russian authorities kept Pichushkin in a locked glass cage in the courtroom for his safety and the safety of others. Authorities had also held Pichushkin's idol, Andrei Chikatilo, similarly throughout his trial 14 years prior. 

    In 1996, Russia changed legislation to no longer allow the death penalty. Unlike Chikatilo, who faced execution in 1994, the courts sentenced Pichushkin to life in prison. He served the first 15 years of his sentence in solitary confinement.
     

  • He Said Killing People Made Him Feel 'Like God'

    He Said Killing People Made Him Feel 'Like God'

    After Pichushkin confessed to five dozen murders, he explained his motive. He maintained he killed people because it made him feel “like God.” He also stated he liked to be the person who chose to decide whether a person lived or died. During his trial, Pichushkin likened himself to God: 

    In all cases, I killed for only one reason. I killed in order to live, because when you kill, you want to live. […] I felt like the father of all these people since it was I who opened the door for them to another world.
     

  • He Proposed To A Woman While In Prison

    He Proposed To A Woman While In Prison

    In 2014, a Russian woman only identified as Natalya alleged her love for the incarcerated Pichushkin. Natalya, who worked at a children's shop in Siberia, first became aware of Pichushkin when she saw a program highlighting his crimes. 

    She spoke to a Russian news agency about their love, saying she and Pichushkin communicated frequently, and she was more "proud of her groom as if he was a Hollywood star." Natalya said it was “love at first sight.” In 2016, Pichushkin told journalists he had proposed to Natalya. The Russian prison system barred the two from continuing their correspondences, yet Natalya still maintains her devotion to the Chessboard Killer.