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
11