Cheating at Chess

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Cheating at Chess

Cheating at Chess

April 30, 2015

From The Hindu:

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-...cle7155674.ece

On Wednesday, during the fifth round of the inaugural Dr. Hedgewar Open chess tournament at the Thyagraj Stadium here, Dhruv Kakkar was caught with two mobile phones strapped to his legs, and a micro-speaker inserted in his left ear soon after he upstaged Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay.

Thipsay, rated 2409, was playing with black pieces against Kakkar, a 19-year-old with a modest rating of 1517. A rating difference of nearly 900 points pointed to an easy win for the veteran GM.

But, that was not to be. After 87 moves, Thipsay resigned. But, much before the game ended, Thipsay had complained to chief arbiter Dharmendra Kumar. “I noticed that he was taking around two minutes for every move, whether it was a complex move or a simple piece-capture with a pawn,” said Thipsay.

“I expressed my doubts to the chief arbiter, who asked me to continue. By the 29th move, I was clearly lost and chose to offer a draw. He promptly declined the offer.

“But, my doubts stood confirmed when he missed simple winning lines as though he waited for a confirmation from someone.

“At times, I thought he misheard the move (that was transmitted through the strapped phone) and played incorrectly.”

Finally, after Thipsay resigned, Kakkar was whisked away to the tournament office and frisked.
He had neatly tucked away two 9-volt batteries into a pouch and strapped it to a belt around his waist.
The batteries were connected to a loop around his neck, but hidden under the shirt. He also carried two spare batteries in his bag for the next round.

The batteries were also connected to the phones strapped to each foot, just above the ankle.
A micro-speaker tucked in his left ear helped him listen to the moves suggested by his friend Shubham, who sat before a computer using chess software ‘Fritz’, around 220 km away at Yamuna Nagar in Haryana.

Kakkar, a second year engineering student in Electronics from JMIT in Yamuna Nagar, confessed to the crime in a written letter. He admitted to The Hindu that he used the contraption to win the first four rounds.

“I made this device and practised with my friend for three days before using it in this event.” He added, “Shubham would ask me the moves made by my opponent. I would tap my foot in the affirmative if the move asked by my friend was the correct one. He would then read out the best option suggested by ‘Fritz’, and I played it.”

The chief arbiter immediately expelled Kakkar from the tournament. Action from the All India Chess Federation (AICF) is awaited. The 19-year-old is also likely to face a ban.

_________

Rather blatant. On the FIDE site it is mentioned that the player in the Dubai Open who used an electronic device for help during his games would receive a three-year suspension from all sanctioned events. In the case of a repeat offence, the suspension is fifteen years.

In other cheating news, we reported on the Apple Watch that has a taptic engine. This is the ability of the watch to “tap” you on the wrist whenever you get an alert or notification. There is a problem with sleeve tattoos (which cover the wrist). The ink can interfere with the watch’s sensors and they don’t tap the wearer. If you have both sleeve and ankle tattoos, you are back to square one as far as smartwatches and cheating are concerned. I guess you will just have to hit the books like the rest of us.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Cheating at Chess

Rather blatant. On the FIDE site it is mentioned that the player in the Dubai Open who used an electronic device for help during his games would receive a three-year suspension from all sanctioned events. In the case of a repeat offence, the suspension is fifteen years.

I think 3 years is excessive and would consider 2 years to be sufficient for the first time. But since he was caught I'm merely commenting on the amount of time rather than the suspension.

Maybe I'm too liberal in my views of punishment for chess cheating.

[Kerry Liles]

Re: Cheating at Chess

I think 3 years is excessive and would consider 2 years to be sufficient for the first time. But since he was caught I'm merely commenting on the amount of time rather than the suspension.

Maybe I'm too liberal in my views of punishment for chess cheating.

I guess I am the opposite - I don't see why that guy should ever be allowed into a FIDE event (and by extension, into any organized chess event).

Such an elaborate effort to cheat screams out for maximum punishment (ie: permanent ban). What is the point of allowing him to resume playing
after (say) 2 years? Would he be above suspicion then? Or ever? Anyone who ever loses or draws a game with him from now on would cry foul.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Cheating at Chess

Cheating at Chess

The FIDE getting tough (even if a bit tardily timewise):

Monday, 27 April 2015
FIDE official logo

Dear Mr. Feller

We refer to the decision made that you should hand back the prize money and the medal you received from the 2010 Chess Olympiad. This you have not done and at the Presidential Board held in Chengdu April 27th 2015, it was decided that should you not send the money and the medal back by the 7th of May 2015, that proceedings will be taken against you.

Meanwhile, your suspension will remain in place until a final decision has been made.

Best regards

Nigel Freeman
Executive Director
_______

You recall the story:

From The Daily Telegraph of March 25, 2011:

The French chess federation has suspended Sébastien Feller, a 20-year-old grandmaster, his team-mate Cyril Marzolo, 32, and Arnaud Hauchard, 39, the French team captain. It said they used mobile text messages, a remote chess computer and coded signals to beat the opposition.

The fraud, which took place during last September's Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, has rocked the chess world, which prides itself on its code of honour.

Rival teams have been known to accuse each other of cheating, but in this case the whistle-blower was the French federation's own vice president, Joanna Pomian.

She became suspicious when she found a text message addressed to Mr Marzolo, which read: "Hurry up and send me some moves." It was sent from Russia by Mr Hauchard during the competition.

She examined Mr Marzolo's itemised phone bill and found he had sent more than 150 text messages to Mr Feller during the tournament, plus 30 to Mr Hauchard. Unable to look at their contents due to a privacy ruling, she and the federation nevertheless remained "convinced" the players had cheated.

The federation said the system required Mr Marzolo to follow the game via the internet. He logged the moves into a chess computer then texted its suggested moves to Mr Hauchard in codes within phony telephone numbers.

The captain communicated these to Mr Feller during his match by standing next to a particular player who represented a pre-agreed number and a figure. Mr Feller could follow his captain's movements to know which piece to move and where.

Mr Feller won three games at the tournament, enough to earn him a gold medal and €5,000 (£4,400).

According to Laurent Vérat, the federation's director-general, Mr Feller and Mr Hauchard owned up to the fraud in October, but "refused to sign any documents".

"The only thing that mattered to them was that the affair didn't get out," he told Le Parisien.

Mr Feller and Mr Marzolo were handed down five-year suspensions while Mr Hauchard received a life ban from being team captain or a coach.

The three deny any wrongdoing and have appealed against the ruling.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Cheating at Chess

Cheating at Chess

The official ruling in the Sebastien Feller case can be found at the FIDE site, under 2012 News. It is a 25-page .pdf document.

The conclusion is this:

- Mr. Sébastien FELLER, Mr. Arnaud HAUCHARD and Mr. Cyril MARZOLO
are responsible for the violation of par. 2.2.5 of the FIDE Code of Ethics;

- Mr. Arnaud HAUCHARD has to be sanctioned with the exclusion from the participation in all FIDE tournaments, as a player or as a member of a national delegation, for a period of 3 (three) years, starting from the 1st of August 2012;

- Mr. Sébastien FELLER has to be sanctioned with the exclusion from the participation in all FIDE tournaments, as a player or as a member of a national delegation, for a period of 2 (two) years and 9 (nine) months, starting from the 1st of August 2012;

- Mr. Cyril MARZOLO has to be sanctioned with the exclusion from the participation in all FIDE tournaments, as a player or as a member of a national delegation, for a period of 1 (one) year and 6 (six) months, with a suspension of the sanction for the last nine months, under probation, in accordance with the decision of the CNOS (Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français);

for what concerns the effects of the present decision, the validity of the already executed suspension since 27 May 2011 can be confirmed, but it has to be affirmed the competence of the FIDE EC regarding the evaluation of the period of probation, starting from 27 February 2012 till 27 November 2012, and the French Chess Federation has to be requested to send the FIDE Secretariat a report on the behaviour of Mr. Cyril MARZOLO during the above mentioned period of nine months;

- FIDE Secretariat and FIDE Presidential Board have to be informed of the present decision for all possible consequences related to the results of the games played by Mr Sébastien FELLER during the 2010 Chess Olympiad, concerning ratings, rankings and prizes;

- a written motivation will follow and will be communicated to the parties by the FIDE Secretariat.
Lausanne, 1st July 2012


The Chairman of the FIDE Ethics Commission Roberto Rivello

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Cheating at Chess

Such an elaborate effort to cheat screams out for maximum punishment (ie: permanent ban). What is the point of allowing him to resume playing
after (say) 2 years? Would he be above suspicion then? Or ever? Anyone who ever loses or draws a game with him from now on would cry foul.

Permanent is a long time and I have never been one to impose those kind of suspensions. I had the authority to suspend players for infraction in the events I directed in CC. They were discretionary so mostly I didn't suspend. They could also be appealed.

Your point the other players would be closely watching in future seems to me to be even more reason not to overdo the length of time of an initial suspension.

I'm more into rehabilitation and with the second offense suspension of 15 years it should make 2 years long enough.

You have to realize 3 years is a long time. It's 3 Toronto Maple Leaf hockey seasons.

[Caleb Petersen]

Re: Cheating at Chess

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Cheating at Chess

Cheating at Chess

Zurab Azmaiparashvili: "Gaioz Nigalidze Should Be Banned for One-Two Years Maximum"

Monday, 04.05.2015

The President of the European Chess Union Zurab Azmaiparashvili comments on the situation surrounding the Georgian player Gaioz Nigalidze, who was recently caught cheating.

"I was very angry with Nigalidze, when I first heard about it, but could not react for several days", Azmaiparashvili was quoted as saying by the Georgian newspaper "Palitra Nedelyi". - "I decided to await other people's reaction. But people have been too harsh with him, virtually demanding the death sentence".

"Gaioz is guilty and should be punished, but he has not done anything deserving the death penalty. The chess program he was using could be compared in strength with light doping", the ECU President said.

"The guilty must be punished, but we should acknowledge that he has admitted his guilt, and we should also take into account the difficult financial situation faced by his family. It seems to me that Nigalidze should be banned for one or two years maximum. That way, he will receive a bitter blow and learn the appropriate lesson, but we will not throw down the drain all the efforts this talented young man has made to improve his chess".

http://chess-news.ru/en/node/18922

[Tom O'Donnell]

Re: Cheating at Chess

1) How can anyone be sure that this was the first time Nigalidze was cheating? He may have been doing it for years.
2) I bet Azmaiparashvili would have a different tune if he were one of the players who was swindled out of prize money by Nigalidze's "light doping".

To me this method of cheating would be closest to the Margarito v Mosley fight where Margarito's trainer put a mixture that would turn into plaster of Paris in his fighter's gloves. After he was discovered cheating a number of previous fights came under suspicion. Margarito was suspended for a year, but keep in mind that a fighter's career is a heck of a lot shorter than a chess player's and that there was no direct evidence (as far as I can recall) that Margarito knew what his trainer was doing.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Cheating at Chess

I see he's looking for a reasonable punishment and taking extenuating circumstances into consideration.

While I consider the opinion the chess program is not strong to be irrelevant, I don't disagree with his assessment of the proposed penalty.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Cheating at Chess

Cheating at Chess

From: http://chess-news.ru/en/node/18940

Zurab Azmaiparashvili: "I Am Not Defending Cheats - I Only Want to Follow the Rules and Respect Human Rights"

Wednesday, 06.05.2015

On his Facebook page, the ECU President, Zurab Azmaiparashvili, has published a text, in which he further expounds his view on the Nigalidze affair.

"Today, following the publication of selected parts of my interview with the Georgian newspaper on the website chess-news.ru, I was subject to accusations of allegedly defending Gaioz Nigalidze, what is far from truth. First, I have always considered him guilty of misconduct and requested for punishment! Second, the original interview was relatively long and subject to edition, possibly introducing a number of misconceptions and altering the ultimate messages to be delivered. Therefore, I would like to apologize for any misunderstanding.

However, we need to carefully consider the proposed penalties as they may have long-term and unforeseen consequences. I believe it is helpful to bear in mind the global practice of court of law. It is almost unheard to charge the accused with the maximum sentence unless the latter is considered a malicious recidivist. What is more, the court always takes into account the circumstances surrounding the case as well as the degree of cooperation with investigations.

Hence, I suggested for a total disqualification of 1-2 years rather than the maximum penalty of up to 3 years, acknowledging the consequences on future career goals and professional life (actually, I compared the case with a renown French movie ‘two men in town’ starring Alain Delon and Jean Gabin).

Hereby I would like to point out that this represents my opinion, an opinion of a man with vast experience and past mistakes who tends to give everyone a second chance for the better change. This is in striking contrast with the opinion of the “bloodthirsty” who request for lifelong disqualification. For clarification, FIDE Ethics Committee states that any first episode of misconduct be subject to a maximum of 3 years of penalty, and demanding a lifelong ban goes beyond and disobeys with existing regulations. One may disagree with the appropriateness of current regulations and this may be a valid subject for a separate debate, however, one should refrain from using the argument for political reasons.

I would also like to touch on the unprecedented case of Sebastian Feller and the cheating scheme unveiled by the French Chess Federation. Surprisingly, nobody talks about the heroic action of the Federation acting against its own player. Here follows a rhetoric question – are there many chess federations that would have acted the same way as did the French?

Additionally, I would like to clarify the meaning of ‘minor’ doping that I used in my original interview. Generally doping scandals in sports comprise the complicated schemes involving a variety of institutions and national federations, rather than individual based actions. Thanks god, chess has not been subject to such schemes and there is still time to work in the right direction. Also, the ultimate goals of doping are rather different and target higher and more prestigious achievements.

In conclusion, do not get me wrong - I am neither defending cheaters nor against their punishment, However, I call for abidance by the regulations and observance of human rights!"

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Cheating at Chess

Cheating at Chess

Sebastian Feller Again Able to Compete in FIDE Events

Wednesday, 06.05.2015

Sebastian Feller's ban, imposed after his use of computer assistance during the 2010 Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk had been revealed, has now ended. Feller may now again play in FIDE events, advises the FIDE website: "Following the expiration of the ban imposed by the Ethics Commission and the return of the Prize Fund and Gold Medal by GM Feller, FIDE confirms that GM Feller can now participate in FIDE rated events."

We would remind you that the Ethics Commission took its decision in the Feller affair in August 2012. Feller himself was banned for two years, nine months (starting from 1 August 2012), his assistant Arnaud Hauchard for three years and another assistant, Cyril Marcolo, received the shortest ban, which expired long ago. All the three were found guilty of breaking point 2.2.5 of the FIDE Ethics rules.

http://chess-news.ru/en/node/18941

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Cheating at Chess

Cheating at Chess

May 14, 2015

Ivan Tetimov and the Bulgarian Chess Federation

From an article in ChessBase by Frederic Friedel:

At the end of last year, Bulgarian player Ivan Tetimov, rated 2047, won the Benidorm Open with a score of 8.0/9, gaining 78 rating points. Suspicions arose, the player did not permit a full check and was disqualified. FIDE appointed a Committee to investigate the matter, but the Bulgarian Chess Federation refused to cooperate.

A letter to them from the FIDE lawyers said,” Should you continue to refuse to cooperate, FIDE will proceed in accordance with Article 2.5 of FIDE Statutes and request the exclusion of the Bulgarian Chess Federation from FIDE.”

Unfortunately, Silvio Danailov had said, “(the) Bulgarian Chess Federation have no intention to collaborate with the current FIDE management. In my personal opinion this management with the commissions appointed by them are not competent and professional enough to rule FIDE and the world of chess”.

So, the lawyers added this in their letter, “FIDE further reserves its right to take further action against Mr Danailov pursuant to the FIDE Code of Ethics with regard to his comments about FIDE’s management and Commission members.”

Anyway, that is beside the point.

Tournament organizer Efim Stefanov sets the scene:

"Ivan Tetimov, is a young guy from Blagoevgrad, who plays quickly, doesn't much look at the board and looks nervous... and has a relatively low rating that's suspicious, but this is not enough in itself. The first signal I got was from Biser Georgiev, in Round 7. We were ready to search Ivan before or after the game, but we first let them play.

Meanwhile, a hi-tech expert I hired came in the hall and scanned the spectrum for frequencies that could be used for transmission of signals. The playing hall was clear, no signals were detected. As the game progressed Ivan turned a pawn down, but saved the endgame and after the draw there was no point to search him. The next round he played against Mario Livaja, who at one point got very nervous because of these symptoms - i.e. the quick play, looking away from the board etc., so he said - "I'm not going to play on if you don't search him".

Although I was sure, that the boy was ok we asked him to come in one of the rooms at the back and he took off his T-shirt. I investigated him, ears, everything and there were no wires to be seen. The guy was quite ok with the inspection, which itself, is a very positive sign. So, he won his game only because Mario decided to go for a win and also Delchev devoted his last class to Tetimov’s games and it's obvious from the analyses that there were both good and bad moves according to Stockfish.'

Another source added this:

The referees saw suspicious signs in the behavior of Bulgarian Ivan Tetímov, 24, and asked permission to inspect his ears. Tetímov allowed one ear be checked, but not the other; the arbiters, according to the rules, expelled him from the tournament, where he had won the first prize. His departure has raised suspicions: indeed, almost all his moves coincide with those of our "non-human friends". But it is also true that they are very logical and within reach of a player of his level.

See:

http://en.chessbase.com/post/fide-th...on-of-bulgaria

_______


It is not clear to me how many body searches were done or how many ears inspected. Tetimov’s games were put through the quality index program and values were obtained - given in the citation above. Let the reader decide if there was computer help or not.

And Bulgaria vs FIDE? Would an exclusion affect Topalov’s title candidature?

[Nigel Hanrahan]

Kramnik's Rule?

I believe that it is necessary to introduce a rule: if there are not some kind of anti-cheating measures, the tournament is simply not counted. So, if it is an open, people come and play for money, without any rating gains or losses, and that's that.

Kramnik: "I trust everyone, but it would be better to check."

[Mathieu Cloutier]

Re: Cheating at Chess

You have to realize 3 years is a long time. It's 3 Toronto Maple Leaf hockey seasons.

Well, it's not that long, then... ;)

But yeah, just ban the cheaters. Doesn't need to be overly harsh, but 1 or 2 years for a first offense seems OK. Then you crank it up if the guy cheats again.

The problem now is not that some are actually trying to cheat, it's that they don't even care if they get caught. They know the punishement will be mild.