WFM cheating
2 years ago Patrycja Waszczuk, the reigning Polish U18 Girls Champion and 2019 European U16 Girls Champion, has been disqualified for two years after allegedly being caught using a mobile phone in a toilet during Round 4 of the Ustroń Chess Festival on August 16th this year. Patrycja played the adult Polish Women’s Chess Championship a week earlier, with Klaudia Kulon and Monika Soćko saying they were reduced to tears after playing the youngest opponent in the field. Her father claims a smear campaign and has appealed, describing the evidence as circumstantial.
The Polish Chess Federation has disqualified 17-year-old Patrycja Waszczuk from playing chess for two years after finding her guilty of using “outside help or electronic doping” during Round 4 of the Ustroń Chess Festival FIDE Open on August 16th this year. Her draw in that game was converted into a loss and she was expelled from the tournament.
The main findings are listed as follows (the emphasis is our own, for clarity):
Miss Patrycja W… lied to the arbiters: IA (International Arbiter – the highest international arbiter class) … in the presence of IA … and the Head of the Silesian Chess Federation Mr … about possessing electronic devices.
She used a telephone in the toilet, which was confirmed by the report of eyewitness Ms …
She admitted she had another telephone, admitting that twice, which was confirmed by witnesses: IA … and IA …
She refused to show her bag, which was confirmed by the testimony of witnesses: IA … … and the Head of the Silesian Chess Federation, Mr …
She tried to leave the playing hall, which was confirmed by the testimony of witnesses: IA … …
She tried to hide the telephone in the playing hall, which was confirmed by a statement from witness Ms …
She used a telephone during other events, which was confirmed by the testimony of a witness - coach of the women’s national team, GM …
An analysis of moves made by the accused shows the use of a computer program, which was confirmed by testimony from the Coach of the Women’s National Team …
The report notes that the Polish Chess Federation applies a strict zero tolerance approach to the possession of a mobile phone at its main events such as the Polish Chess Championships, which would bring an automatic two-year ban. Zero tolerance wasn’t in place at the Ustroń Chess Festival – which featured almost 600 players and had Anatoly Karpov as a guest of honour - but the Commission says the possession of a phone and the suspicion of its being used is sufficient for a guilty verdict, even in the absence of other evidence.
They state there was no doubt of guilt and that Patrycja was clearly fully-aware of what she was doing, and say they applied a two-year ban rather than a longer sentence (the case of Igors Rausis being stripped of his GM title and receiving a 6-year ban is mentioned) due to the young age of the player.
Earlier suspicions
The Commission’s resolution also notes that experts found a correspondence between Patrycja’s moves and computer chess engine analysis of the 2019 European U16 Girls Championship in Bratislava (replay the games), where she took clear first with 7.5/9…
…and the Polish U18 Girls Championship in Szklarska Poręba in March 2020, a 39-player open tournament where she scored a near perfect 7.5/8. The one player she drew against, Michalina Rudzińska, took to Facebook on 17th August, a day after Patrycja had allegedly been caught cheating.
The climax, however, came when Patrycja Waszczuk qualified as the youngest participant to play in the prestigious Polish Women’s Championship, held August 4-12 in Ostrów Wielkopolski.
You can replay any of the games from that event by clicking on a result in the crosstable below, or hover over a name to see all of a player's games.
Patrycja announced her arrival on the national stage with a stunning first round win over 4-time Polish Women’s Champion Jolanta Zawadzka. In terms of arousing suspicion, the mysterious computer-approved king move 26…Kf8! in the following position was dynamite.
That wouldn’t be the only brilliancy. After 41.Rxc8 Black is doing well after simply 41…Bxc8, but 41…Ng4!!, the choice of Stockfish, was a beautiful touch.
Black won in 51 moves.
Klaudia went on to tie for first place before losing out in a playoff to a heavily-pregnant Karina Cyfka, who beat Patrycja in 82 moves in Round 2. It wasn’t only players who lost to Waszczuk who were upset, however, with 8-time Polish Women’s Champion Monika Soćko drawing a hugely complicated ending in Round 6. She told Onet:
"What happened really hurts. During the tournament we knew what we were up against. I was so desperate that I wanted to go to the toilet after her and check if she wasn’t using electronic doping. Two other players did that, however, and caught her using a telephone. At the Polish Championship, after my game against Patrycja, we were both checked. And something squeaked around the level of the belt of her trousers. She was checked by two teenage girls, who probably weren’t ready for such a situation and didn’t know what they should do. Still a long time after the Polish Championship I was shocked by the situation, as the girl isn’t backing down and still claims that she’s innocent. I’m 42 years old and rarely cry, but after the game against Patrycja, which I drew, my nerves were gone. For a week after that event I couldn’t sleep. All because I felt that she was making moves that wouldn’t have occurred to her. But I couldn’t prove anything. That was a terrible experience. The situation is unprecedented and sad."
There were just three days after the Polish Chess Championship before the Ustroń Chess Festival began, with Patrycja finally caught.
