10 Interesting Stories From The World Of Chess
2. Cheating Scandals
Sadly, as in all other contests, chess has not been without its own fair share of cheating scandals. Some of them are definitely amusing, as in the case of WGM Anna Rudolf who was accused of cheating by hiding a computer... in her lipstick.
Anna's case is only funny because of how preposterous the entire thing was. She had performed slightly better than expected, but there was nothing outrageous in any of the results. Even the GM that she beat in one match, Christian Bauer, has stated that there was nothing in her play to suggest the use of an engine.
The most common form of cheating in over-the-board matches seems to be the use of smartphones to analyse the position with an engine. Gaioz Nigalidze received a three-year ban for using a phone he had hidden in the toilets and was stripped of his title. Igors Rausis employed the exact same method and retired from professional chess.
In online games, the analysis tools can very quickly run through a game and while most high-level players have a fair idea when something is going on, once the analysis shows their opponent played with 99% accuracy, cheating is confirmed and usually results in a ban.