Cheater Caught in Dutch Tournament

Time to Purge the FPC and Start Over?

Globetrotting journalist Ian Rogers reports that yet another cheater has been exposed, this time in the recent Dutch Open tournament in Dieren. A 19-year old amateur was confronted by the tournament organizers who soon after admitted to using a cellphone during his frequent visits to the washroom.

Years ago, when FIDE finally decided to do something about the growing incidence of computer cheating during tournaments, I was sharply critical of the ‘cosmetic’ solution that FIDE found.

Instead of creating a professional group of experts on the matter, FIDE formed a hodge-podge committee of volunteers, each with a personal agenda and none with any experience — not to mention expertise — that could be useful.

I argued that computer cheating in chess is a HARDWARE issue and that FIDE needed to invest real money to buy the technology that could instantly scan a playing hall and catch a cheater.

Today — years later — as a result of having amateurish volunteers on the committee, now called the Fair Play Committee, most cheaters get away with cheating. Virtually all — if not every single one — of the reported cases of cheaters getting caught  have been the result of the cheater drawing way too much attention to himself.

Reality is that perhaps less than 1% of all the cheating taking place in todays tournaments is actually being identified. This is a serious issue. It is time for FIDE to get serious and purge the current FPC and start over.

It is time for FIDE to invest some money and buy the equipment that will stop cheaters cold.