The Grandmaster That was Banned for Six Years then Returned

Winning at chess is fun.  I’d argue that there are few other feelings better than defeating an opponent, whether it be by a swift, beautiful checkmate, or by a long, grind-it-out type of match.  All of the Top Grandmasters, many of whom play for their careers and livelihood, are extraordinarily competitive.  Guys like Magnus Carlsen don’t just get to the top without a fixed psychological mindset of “I must win.  Losing equals failure.”

But what are these people willing to sacrifice? Their time? Their blood, sweat and tears?  Yes.  But in the case of this man and the thousands of other chess cheaters out there, they sacrifice one thing that is sacred to each human being: integrity.

Meet Igors Rausis.

Former top 100 player in the world, Latvian Chess Champion, and owner of a rating just south of the 2700 FIDE club, Igors had an amazing chess career and also an amazing life.  Two kids, a grandmaster wife, (presumably) a nice home, and an incredible chess skillset.  And most of all, the man had respect throughout the chess community.  He was well-known and, from what I can find, well-liked.  Here’s a game in which he defeats famous GM Alexei Shirov.

However, he threw away his chess career in a matter of seconds when this photo surfaced during the 2019 Strasbourg Open in which he used the bathroom during a game and then pulled out his cellphone, looking at a chess analysis of what was presumably his game.

I mean, they caught this man in 4k.  If you want more proof, look at this:

Afterwards, Rausis admitted to the phone use, stating “I played my last game of chess already.”  It was then revealed that FIDE had been following Rausis for a long time, suspecting him of cheating after his suspiciously meteoric rise from 2500 to almost 2700 in a matter of months at age 58, which is absolutely unheard of.  This man got away with cheating for a long time, and it’s sad to think about all of the opponents that he may have wronged with his violation of ethics.  This resulted in FIDE, the federation of chess, banning Rausis from tournament play for 6 years, making him eligible to return in 2025, and stripping him of his grandmaster title.

Now, I want to look at this from Rausis’s point of view, and from the point of view of all chess cheaters.  I think that this is necessary from a human/psychological perspective in order to fully understand both sides.  I know that you may be saying, “c’mon man!   What he did is despicable!” and I totally see that and agree.  However, sometimes the pressure of winning in chess is a lot to handle, and Rausis resorted to cheating as a means of responding to the pressure.

Now you may think that this story is over, that Rausis just took his ban and retired from chess as he said he would do.  But if you haven’t heard this story, you’re in for a plot twist…

Igors came back.  Yes, he played in a chess tournament this past year in 2020.

But under a new name.

Yes, Igors Rausis traveled to a tournament in Valka, Latvia under the new name of Isa Kasimi, an unrated chess player who other players immediately became suspicious of after crushing his first two opponents. 

Rausis even changed his name to Kasimi legally after because what he had done had caused shame to his family.  His wife divorced him, and some members of his family refuse to speak to him for what he's done.  He also apologized for games prior in which he cheated, and tells that cheating in over-the-board chess is more widespread than people think.  Even though the event in 2020 was not FIDE rated, GM Artur Neiskans protested, saying that "It felt like it tainted the memory of Vsevolods Dudzinskis, my former coach, to have a cheater in his first memorial tournament."  In a Skype interview with Chess.com, Rausis showed remorse: "I take full responsibility for myself. I cannot blame my weakness or my sickness or whatever. I did very dangerous things that may harm the entire chess world."

Obviously, Rausis’s name will always be tainted in chess history for one careless, unethical act.  So, if you take something from this article, take this: Don’t cheat in chess.  It’s not worth it, and it ruins the integrity of the great game of chess. 

Cheers!  Thanks for reading!
JC