Amateur chess player thrown out of tournament for hiding his cell phone in a sock
An amateur chess player was thrown out of a Dutch tournament after he was caught hiding a phone in his sock while defeating several players who were higher rated than him.
As Chess.com originally reported, the unnamed player took part in the Hogeschool Zeeland University Chess Tournament and attracted attention by defeating several higher-rated players “with near-perfect play.”
According to a press release, in the seventh round it was discovered that the player went to the toilet with a phone to simulate the best possible moves.
Chess.comThe player was caught with a phone in his sock that was used to cheat
“After about 12-13 moves he wanted to go to the toilet and we wanted to examine him. He initially refused, which is tantamount to an admission of guilt,” tournament director Hans Groffen told PZC.
The player eventually agreed to the scan, which detected a device. He claimed it was his watch; however, a phone was detected.
During chess tournaments, players are strictly forbidden to have a phone in their pocket, as simulators, even on phones, have become so powerful that you can basically beat anyone with them.
Following this discovery, the participant was removed from the tournament and reported to the Dutch Chess Federation. However, his tournament results remain valid.
“We have never experienced anything like this at our tournament. Of course it is annoying that something like this happens to an organization, but on the other hand we are also happy that such black sheep are weeded out,” said Groffen.
Chess is remarkably easy to cheat because it is so easy to find all the perfect moves. This means that tournament organizers must be on guard to prevent a competitor from attempting to cheat.
Hans Niemann, who was facing serious allegations of fraud, was recently subjected to strict anti-fraud measures following a streak of good fortune.
