Case D : Morse Code
This case occurred during the 56th International Chess Festival of Imperia , August-September 2015 , in Italy .
World Chess Federation FIDE Arbiters ' Commission
Case D : Morse Code
This case occurred during the 56th International Chess Festival of Imperia , August-September 2015 , in Italy .
Unfortunately , this is yet another cheating case . However , there is great value in being as informed as possible of various cheating attempts . While some / most cheaters try to do so using previously attempted techniques , we are also seeing “ new ” cheaters trying unique creative techniques . Most of us have heard of Morse code , but very few of us have ever used it . Remarkably in this case , Morse code was used as part of a cheating attempt by an amateur player .
Best defence against cheating is Arbiter awareness
In this case , event officials first became suspicious when Arcangelo Ricciardi , who was ranked only 51366th in the world , began beating far better players . Arbiter Jean Coqueraut knew “ in chess , performances like that are impossible ”.
In addition , the 37-year-old suspect was “ batting his eyelids in the most unnatural way ”, never got up during hours of playing , and kept one of his thumbs tucked in his armpit . The Arbiter understood that it was Morse code !
Therefore , the Arbiter confronted the suspect to open his shirt . When the suspect refused , he was asked to pass through a metal detector , which sensed a pendant underneath his shirt . This pendant contained a tiny video camera connected to a small box in his armpit . The assistant was not apprehended .
In closing , the event officials and Arbiters seemed to perform very well in catching this cheater . In addition , the Organizers deserve credit for having planned for suitable technology onsite in the form of the metal detector
Organizer ’ s preparation is an ally against cheating
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