Chess Grandmaster Faces 3-Year Ban For Using iPod Touch To Cheat During Frequent Potty Breaks
You know your chess opponent is in trouble when he has to hit the restroom after every turn. That was Tigran Petrosian’s thinking when he accused a fellow chess player during the Dubai Open this weekend. As it turned out, he seems to have been right: officials found an iPod in the bathroom running an app that displayed the chess moves from the game.
According to the Telegraph, the tournament director got involved after people observed that Chess Grandmaster Gaioz Nigalidze, of Georgia, was partial to a particular stall for all of his emergency bathroom breaks. A search of the stall turned up a device running a chess app. Nigalidze apparently denied that the device belonged to him, only to be betrayed by the device itself: the device was logged into his Facebook account, according to reports.
As it happens, the World Chess Federation, also known as FIDE, recently formed an Anti-Cheating Committee. Gaioz Nigalidze seems to be a likely candidate for the committee’s review -- as it stands now, the Grandmaster is facing the possibility of a three-year ban. Repeat offenders face as much as fifteen years out of FIDE-sanctioned tournaments.
According to the Telegraph, the tournament director got involved after people observed that Chess Grandmaster Gaioz Nigalidze, of Georgia, was partial to a particular stall for all of his emergency bathroom breaks. A search of the stall turned up a device running a chess app. Nigalidze apparently denied that the device belonged to him, only to be betrayed by the device itself: the device was logged into his Facebook account, according to reports.
As it happens, the World Chess Federation, also known as FIDE, recently formed an Anti-Cheating Committee. Gaioz Nigalidze seems to be a likely candidate for the committee’s review -- as it stands now, the Grandmaster is facing the possibility of a three-year ban. Repeat offenders face as much as fifteen years out of FIDE-sanctioned tournaments.
