Russian granny plays chess in ice hole, needs multiple men to sustain her hobby (VIDEO)

Meet the Russian granny who could give world chess champion Magnus Carlsen a run for his money. But she doesn’t care about training or tournaments - she just loves playing the game… while sat in freezing cold water.

The residents of the industrial city of Chelyabinsk in the Urals are known as the toughest people in Russia. And 68-year-old Nina Pushkareva is doing nothing to disprove that stereotype.

The woman has invented the coolest hobby for herself (literally) by combining her dual passions of winter swimming and chess.

When settling down for another chess session, Nina has to invite multiple men into her ice hole to play with her – because, she says, there’s nobody who can stay in the water for as long as she does.

“We create a plan and we play chess every Sunday of the month,” she told RT’s Ruptly video agency. “I sit and play chess, and men come and go.” A game usually lasts for around 20 minutes.

Nina insists that spending so much time in an ice hole has had an amazing effect on her physical condition. “I was sick for 45 years and it's now my 24th healthy winter… The ice hole is my vaccination.”

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