CHENNAI: Ukraine's Pavel Eljanov was being given the once-over by the arbiter at the Chennai Grand Masters event. At some level, this sort of screening process with a metal detector — something similar to a security check at an airport — has become common in all chess events since Magnus Carlsen accused Hans Niemann of cheating in an over-the-board game at the Sinquefield Cup last year. Even if Niemann has been cleared of all charges by the authorities, the legacy of that incident continues to live on in all chess events, big or small.
For the record, allegations have existed for at least the last 50 years. But it's become mainstream in recent times thanks to the Niemann-Carlsen incident. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has put in place certain measures to ensure players don't have outside help. Nobody outside the playing hall will know the current state of games. Live streams are no longer live; the ongoing event, like most other big chess meets, is being broadcast with a 15-minute delay. This wasn't the case with the Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram last year.
According to FIDE deputy-president, Viswanathan Anand, delays could be a way of life going forward. "More and more time delays," he said when elaborating on the issue on Saturday. While the streaming audience worldwide will be affected, it's a small price to pay to ensure the integrity (journalists who are covering the event from the venue aren't supposed to tweet the result till 15 minutes after completion of the game). Screening the player, too, would be commonplace. "More security controls, more screenings... It's quite tedious for someone who's quite used to walking into a tournament and making a move. On the other hand, you do understand the importance of this."
Levon Aronian understood why these measures have been installed. "It has to happen, it's inevitable," he said after his first-round match on Friday. "It (deployment of anti-cheating measures) has happened in every other sport. We are no better or worse. It has to be there." It being there is one thing. The allegations have given rise to something else entirely. "Paranoia," as Aronian, nicknamed the Armenian Lion, called it." It (do you ever get suspicious that the person sitting opposite to you within handshaking distance is relying on technology) 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 as well."
The fissures created by Carlsen's allegations still run deep, more than a year on. While P Harikrishna doesn't namecheck the Norwegian, he felt players shouldn't run their mouths without having evidence. "There were some cases in the past but not to the extent where a player accused somebody without providing significant evidence," he had said after the Opening Ceremony.
"Today, the problem is 'anybody can accuse anybody and that's not a good thing'. Obviously we need a safe environment to feel secure. At the same time, it is quite exaggerated. Some players are quite obsessed with it." All three of Anand, Aronian and Harikrishna maintained that they refused to go down the road of suspecting their opponents. "I don't think in that direction," Harikrishna said. "Sometimes, your opponents can have a good day and may end up playing well over their level."
Anand has never allowed himself to wonder about the integrity of his opponent as it can 'quickly lead to a negative spiral'. Ironically, Anand himself was involved in one of India's most high-profile cheating cases in chess in recent times when Nikhil Kamath, an Indian entrepreneur, beat him in an online game in a charity match (Kamath admitted to cheating). "I generally try not to go down this road," he said. "As a player, it can get uncomfortable once that thought is in your head. You can't keep an accusation like that in your head and still be objective."
To help ease genuine concerns about fairplay, FIDE takes all matches that have been flagged to mathematicians, statisticians and people with access to very good engines. "I don't pick a chess game that has an allegation and use my judgment. You give it to the computer and map it out statistically. We have people we work with. They examine these allegations and come out with a report (it was one such report that exonerated Niemann)."
On Monday, in the fourth round of the event, the players will leave their phones outside. Before entering the playing hall, the arbiter will scan them with a metal detector. A new day but a reminder of where chess is right now.
