This Armageddon-style knockout tournament will take place amid the splendour of the Vladimir Putin Memorial Tearoom, St Petersburg.

Play will begin on Christmas Day and continue until one player is left standing. He will be declared the winner and carry off the Prince Salman Bone-saw Trophy.

Round 1 pairings

 

Polonium v Litvinenko

Skripal v Novichok

Magnitsky v P. Karpov

Kasparov v Putin

Ilyumzhinov v Yudina

Khashoggi v Salman

 

After the third round the event will move to a sound-proof room in the Saudi Embassy for a sudden death play-off.

There will be live streaming to assist the subsequent police investigation.

 

Journalists are invited to collect their visa and press pack from the Saudi Embassy.

See also

We Are Family 

Murdering a Journalist

Chess, Murder, Fraud