Chess

[UncleEbenezer]

How do you cheat in a face to face game? There have been suggestions (by Eon Musk!) of some sort of signalling device up his bum, with a mate elsewhere on a computer anal(!)ysing the game and sending him which moves to play. Neimann has offered to play naked and was actually scanned by security before taking his seat.

Sounds like something out of the pawn industry.

Scott.

Or a bishop's move?

Back in my schooldays I played a bit, and read a bit when people (very likely my dad) gave me chess books. So I knew the (then) rather long dominance of Soviet champions, and heard about the extraordinary shenanigans around the match where Bobby Fisher broke (or at least interrupted) that dominance.

With the current nonsense being just the latest of a number of bad-tempered and unsportsmanlike top-level matches since then, it seems like a bit of a tradition. Has it always been thus?

[GeoffF100]

Hans Niemann 'likely cheated' in more than 100 games, investigation finds:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63140246

[GeoffF100]

Hans Niemann 'likely cheated' in more than 100 games, investigation finds:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63140246

Chess.com continuing there hatchet job. I have some sympathy for Niemann here.

Welcome to a world where everything is recorded. If you are not squeaky clean from an early age and ever become newsworthy, you are in trouble. In the old days, the only records below the top level would have been the players' score sheets. There was zero chance of those every being collected an analysed. One thoughtless comment on social media and you are blighted for life. In the old days, you could say what you want.

[Alaric]

How do you cheat in a face to face game?

One way are to leave the room and consult a computer or phone. That has the problem that phones and electronic devices are banned and opponents, spectators and arbiters might notice. It can take a few days though. There was a player in a recent Junior Championship who was allegedly doing this by making frequent visits to the Gents. He was only disqualifed when the tournament was almost over.

Another is to have a stooge or accomplice do the consulting and signal the moves. That also should be not so difficult to spot.

A third method is to have something concealed about your person. That can be hard work as not only do you need a code for receiving back the computer engine's suggestions, but also a means of communicating the current position and latest move.

An additional problem with elite chess in particular and online chess in general is that spectators can watch the games in real time complete with analysis from the server's tame chess programs. How do you stop players looking at the suggestions? Over the board it's mostly a sealed environment, playing at home it isn't.