More OTB Cheating !

http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=7094

Is enough being done to discourage other players from cheating ? Is whats being done enough or should the " punishment " involved be harsher ?  What can be done to punish those caught that will deter others and what can be done to make such cheating more difficult ?  I think players should NOT be allowed to have cell phones in the playing "area" at all..... this would help imo. If it were up to me those caught cheating would be banned from all organized play at least 1 year and if caught a second time banned forever. Perhaps  I am too harsh ? Ideas ? 

Not harsh at all.    Banning from the federation for a 2nd time offense seems completely fair. 

How about some of these ideas?

- All player cellphones must be turned OFF, not vibrate or silent.  If it's a life and death situation, give the TD your phone and tell him you're expecting a call. He'll give you the phone when it vibrates. 

- ID checks. Make absolutely sure the player is who they say he/she is.

- Higher levels of vigilance when dealing with unrateds / provisional players in big-money tournaments.   The TD ought to tag these people and watch for high-frequency "leaving the tournament hall" movements.

- Tourney mgmt. software could "flag" any back-to-back upsets each round so that the TD can be a little more observant of certain players who are "on fire".

- Tourney mgmt. software could make it easier to pull up a player's history to look for any trends, e.g. sandbagging.

In my days

there wasn't cell phones, computers etc.and the only cheating bastard was Kempelen. Good ol' days.

Such practices as checking IDs and making sure that the mobile phones are turned off are common in college exams these days, it's rather surprizing to hear that they are not observed in serious OTB tournaments.

In FIDE events the arbiter always reminds the players to turn off all mobile phones at the start of each round. If your phone rings, or alarms, during the game your game is forfeited. Obviously , this measure isnt enough and phones shouldnt even be allowed in the playing area with the players.... 

How I read it, the phones weren't with the players  but outside.

It was the team captain who apparently passed the info by staying near the players in the hall.

"

• The opponent of Vachier-Lagrave was A and 1
• The opponent of Fressinet was B and 2
• The opponent of Tkachiev C and 3
• The opponent Feller D and 4
• Feller himself was E and 5
• Tkachiev was F and 6
• Fressinet was G and 7
• Finally Vachier-Lagrave was H and 8

Arnaud Hauchard would move around the tables and stop for some time behind different players, e.g. behind the opponent of Tkachiev and then behind Fressinet to signal the square c2. Incidentally it is usually sufficient to signal the destination square – a 2600+ (or even much weaker) player is easily able to determine which piece should be moved there."

Was the entire team involved in the cheating ?  I thought it was just 3 players involved ?  

I believe the punishment must be very harsh for caught cheats. If it isnt then others will only be encouraged to take the risk...... 

Yes, but it's difficult to prove it.

This probably wouldnt been detected if the "engine man" had not use the borrowed mobile phone (how stupid is that).

And even now after the decision of France Chess Federation, it probably wouldn't stand a test in court as privacy of exchanges SMS messages is protected by several laws.

Offenders even objected the jurisdiction as alleged cheating did not happen in France.

Nevertheless, interesting reading.

It would definitely change the attitude towards kibitzers and observes.

Team captains and their movement around the tables will be under magnifying glass from now on.

This "accident" reminds me of film IQ, when Einstein and other wise guys helped Tim Robins to pass the test using various mimics and sounds to mark A,B,C,D,E answers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I.Q._%28film%29

They could just set up a jamming device to block all phone signals within 2 miles

I like the idea of, if proved that the players are guilty, stripping them of their titles and never allowing them to hold a FIDE title again.  Many events, at least in the states, offer GMs and IMs free or reduced fees to attend tournaments, this would definitely put a significant financial impact on the players involved if they actually had to pay to go to tournaments again.

comradedew - I believe cell phone jamming is illegal and probably worse than cheating in a chess tournament

Lots of businesses and religeous organizations use em where I come from, I just googled and found lots of online us retailers selling em so I don't see why they can't use a product that's widely manufactured and sold in the US

Malls here use it and it really piss me off

That's interesting.  I think here, in the states, it would be illegal to use one of those things.  Just because we make it here, doesn't mean we can use it.  We are notorious for making odious items and shipping them to other countries in the name of making money.  But I digress.  I don't know what the rules in most countries would be for those devices.

there is most likely indetectable cheats, for example using the movement of your toes to send information to a computer engine wirelessly.  I guess you could use a room where radio waves could not be transmitted : ).

United States: Cell phone blocking devices are used by federal officials under certain circumstances. Privacy rights of property owners may affect the policy and application of law within buildings. The FCC may issue a permit that waives the law for private use. For radio communications, it is illegal to operate, manufacture, import, or offer for sale, including advertising (Communications Act of 1934).^[8] Blocking radio communications in public can carry fines of up to $11,000 or imprisonment of up to one year.^[9] The Homeland Security Act of 2002 may override the Communications Act of 1934

wikipedia

it's really too bad coz they could just block most signals including wifi and gps

I think this would be a cat and mouse game where the cat (cheater) would almost always win.  I mean something as simple as someone moving their toes could relay information directly, or indirectly, so that's kind of difficult to prevent through technical methods alone.

this game nobel in it's beginnings; played  by those who aimed for great heights needs not only the best from us, but also to be played w/ dignity and pride for our opponnents and the game itself.