Why are chess players being frisked metal detectors at Chennai Grand Masters tournament? | Chess News

Just before each of the eight GMs in action at the Chennai Grand Masters event make their way into the playing hall at the Leela Palace hotel in Chennai, one common scene has been playing out continuously. The chief arbiter scans the players from top to bottom with a metal detector, almost similar to the frisk-checks at any airport. It is a clear reflection of what the sport is going through, especially after how cheating accusations came to the forefront last year after Magnus Carlsen dramatically withdrew from the Sinquefield Cup, accusing his opponent Hans Niemann of cheating in an over-the-board contest.
It was an episode that opened Pandora’s box. Claims and counterclaims were traded before FIDE’s Ethics & Disciplinary Committee went through a thorough investigation, relying on an investigative report filed IM Kenneth Regan. According to Regan, Niemann’s games in the tournament and 13 others over the past three years revealed there was no statical evidence that pointed to the US GM cheating; Carlsen was fined $10,800 for withdrawing without a valid reason.
Even as the investigation went on with the verdict announced last week, the FIDE has put in place extensive methods to prevent over-the-board cheating. From screenings to denying live access to anyone outside the hall and a 15-minute delayed streaming, and a gag on journals to tweet the result of the game until the streaming is finished, FIDE is doing its bit to ensure the players don’t get any outside help.
The players seem fine with the new normal. “It has to happen. It’s inevitable. It has happened in every single sport. We are not better or worse. It has to be there. It happens a lot. Sometimes, it’s paranoia. Sometimes, you feel there’s something not right. We can’t really go around saying that our opponents are not fair. At the same time, if these measures are not taken, it’s too much pressure for the players also,” Levon Aaronian says.
India’s P Harikrishna, doesn’t recollect playing any contest in which he felt as if his opponent was cheating, but admits there were instances that sowed doubts of seed. “There were some cases in the past but not to the extent that anybody can accuse anybody without providing any significant evidence. Today the problem is, anybody can accuse any player and that’s not a good thing. Obviously we need a safe environment for the players to feel secure. At the same time, I feel that it is quite exaggerated in some cases. Some players are quite obsessed with this and I feel that when the federation comes out with a detailed plan, it would be much better for the general chess image in relation to cheating,” Harikrishna says.

After Carlsen’s withdrawal, the IP Report examined the Sinquefield Cup, and particularly the fair play (anti-cheating measures) which were in place during the entire tournament. These included daily inspections of the playing area; players being scanned with metal detectors before entering the playing area; as well as random searches after the games finished; players were not allowed to bring electronics, watches, pens; onsite arbiters observing players during play; the entire playing area was covered cameras used for live broadcast, no spectators were allowed in the playing area, with limited access to external VIPs and media; all games were analyzed Professor K. Regan using his statical algorithm. After round 3, live broadcast was delayed, and radio frequency scanners were used, as a response to GM Carlsen´s withdrawal from the tournament.
Conspiracy theories and cheating claims are of course not new to the sport. It has been prevailing for decades now. During the 1978 World Chess Championship battle between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi held in the Philippines, the latter accused noted Soviet psycholog and hypnotherap Vladimir Petrovich Zukhar (part of Karpov’s team) of trying to hypnotise him.
Pointing to this episode, Viswanathan Anand, said the same is now happening with cheating accusations and it won’t make for an ideal for a player to have accusations without reasonable doubt. “I generally try not to get down this road. As a player, it can get very uncomfortable once that thought is in your head. You can’t keep an accusation in your head and be objective. Once you are there, you are down that road, you get into a spiral,” Anand said.
Anand, who now also dons the hat of an adminrator virtue of being the deputy president of FIDE, believes time delays in streaming, thorough security checks and screening will help eradicate the fear among the players that his opponent, who is sitting across the table isn’t indulging in any cheating. “We keep enhancing our steps and measures to fight it. It’s quite tedious for someone who’s quite used to walking into a tournament hall and making a move and coming back. Now you have all the screening. On the other hand, you do understand the importance of this. Our policies nudge closer and closer being very strict,” Anand adds.
Like in the case of the Carlsen-Niemann episode, Anand said even help from mathematicians and staticians are being sought regularly to check if any player indulged in some form of cheating. “We have also been working with mathematicians, staticians and people with access to very good engines. I don’t pick up a chess game that has an allegation of cheating and use judgment. You give it to the computer and map it out statically. We have people we work with. They examine these allegations and come out with a report,” Anand says.