Is nothing sacred? Chess grandmaster ‘looked up moves during loo breaks’
THE world of elite chess has been hit by a cheating scandal after a grandmaster was pictured secretly using a mobile phone during a tournament – while in the toilet.
Phones are banned at such events because of software that can be used to suggest winning moves.
Police are investigating after Igors Rausis was ‘caught redhanded’ in France, the game’s governing body Fide said.
Mr Rausis, 58, had aroused suspicion by reaching the game’s top echelon at an age when most players decline in ability. He is the oldest player in the top 100, reaching number 40 in the live rankings.
Last year he was lauded as an example of how advancing age need not be a barrier to improvement in chess. However, his rise to the level of ‘super’ grandmaster was unprecedented in a game dominated by younger stars and this led to doubts about him.
Officials from Fide appear to have been lying in wait for him at the Strasbourg Open in France, catching him with a hidden camera in the toilets.
Yuri Garrett of Fide said yesterday that officials had been ‘closely following a player for months’ after a programme designed to catch computer cheats alerted them to Mr Rausis’s unusual performance.
Chess players can use powerful ‘engine’ apps on smartphones, such as the popular Chessbase app, to analyse games and find moves suggested by a computer.
As a result, the use of phones is banned at such tournaments and even being in possession of one can lead to disqualification.
It is unclear whether LatvianCzech player Mr Rausis was using such an app, but the use of a hidden phone is banned in itself. According to the website chess.com, Mr Rausis later signed a declaration saying that a phone found in a toilet cubicle was his.
When approached for comment, Mr Rausis said: ‘I am not interested – the damage is already done.
‘I simply lost my mind yesterday. I confirmed the fact of using my phone during the game by written [statement]. What could I say more?’ He added that he had ‘played my last game of chess already’.
Fide director general Emil Sutovsky said: ‘Igors Rausis has been caught red-handed at a tournament in Strasbourg.
‘Rausis has been suspended from the tournament and all the materials will be sent to the ethics commission. In parallel, the matter will be dealt with by the French police.’