The Chess Cheating Scandal, Explained | WSJ
The Chess Cheating Scandal, Explained | WSJ
Transcript
00:00 The world of competitive chess was upended in September
00:04 when 19-year-old American grandmaster Han "Smokey" Neiman
00:07 was accused of cheating by five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen.
00:11 The allegations surfaced last month after Carlsen abruptly withdrew
00:15 from the Sinkfield Cup in St. Louis after losing a game against Neiman.
00:20 It must be embarrassing for the world champion to lose to me.
00:22 About two weeks later, during a Carlsen-Neiman rematch,
00:26 Carlsen resigned after making just one move.
00:30 What?
00:30 No.
00:31 Carlsen then explicitly accused Neiman of cheating,
00:36 saying he hoped the truth on this matter comes out, whatever it may be.
00:40 The cheating allegations against Neiman grew louder on October 4th
00:44 when Chess.com released an investigation it conducted into Neiman's matches.
00:49 The report alleged that he cheated more than 100 times in online games as recently as 2020.
00:55 Neiman denied cheating during the Sinkfield Cup or in any in-person chess match,
01:00 but the grandmaster did admit he's cheated at two points in his life,
01:03 once as a 12-year-old and in other random games at age 16.
01:07 In an absolutely ridiculous mistake, in unrated games.
01:10 After that, when I was 12, I have never, ever in my life cheated
01:14 in an over-the-board game, in an online tournament.
01:17 But now, with the integrity of the game under scrutiny,
01:20 many are asking how could someone cheat at chess?
01:24 In the age of smartphones and software,
01:26 today's cheaters can use computer programs known as chess engines.
01:30 Chess engines first entered the public consciousness in 1997
01:35 when the chess computer known as Deep Blue beat the then world champion Garry Kasparov.
01:40 Deep Blue's victory was a milestone,
01:42 as it was the first time a computer beat a world champion.
01:45 But today, these programs are widely available.
01:48 Anyone can download one on their smartphone.
01:51 They're also powerful.
01:52 Modern chess engines are now capable of beating even the best human every single time.
01:58 But if someone wanted to cheat by using a computer,
02:01 they'd have to do so without being noticed.
02:03 So, how could the computer get information to the cheating player unseen?
02:08 One of the best-known methods involves trips to the bathroom
02:12 to secretly look at a phone equipped with a chess engine.
02:14 Since experienced players are able to memorize the board
02:19 and input it into chess software,
02:21 they don't necessarily need a collaborator to cheat.
02:23 In 2019, Latvian grandmaster Igor Srausis confessed to cheating
02:30 on four different occasions in three instances by using his mobile phone.
02:34 But if a cheater weren't going to the bathroom too many times,
02:37 how would they get instructions and avoid detection?
02:40 One option would be coordinating with an accomplice
02:44 who uses a chess engine and then sends moves to a device
02:47 hidden somewhere on the player's body.
02:49 That gadget could be a tiny vibrator or a nearly invisible earpiece.
02:54 Something as small as a quick buzz could indicate that the best tactic is,
02:58 say, a night move rather than a pawn.
03:01 A player could also receive signals from someone in the audience.
03:04 Since chess players only need a few moments of help throughout a game,
03:09 cheating can be hard to catch during an in-person game.
03:12 But the website chess.com has developed sophisticated methods
03:16 to uncover unethical gameplay.
03:18 The website recently closed over 18,000 accounts due to cheating.
03:22 Chess.com said it was able to identify matches
03:25 where Neiman likely cheated in online games using two main methods.
03:29 First, they looked at Neiman's moves and compared them
03:33 to those recommended by chess engines with analytic software.
03:36 The website also monitored Neiman to see what windows he pulled up during the game.
03:41 When players compete online,
03:43 they have certain screen and data sharing protocols
03:45 they must agree to with organizers who usually mandate webcams as well.
03:49 Chess.com said it found that Neiman performed much better
03:53 while toggling between screens during games.
03:56 The second way chess.com said that it determined Neiman was likely cheating
04:01 was by studying his past performances to get a sense of his strengths and weaknesses.
04:05 By comparing the moves a player makes against the moves a computer would make,
04:09 the chess site developed a strength score
04:11 to determine if a player is playing a better game than their skill level.
04:14 Neiman hasn't responded to requests for comment.
04:18 Last month, he said he dedicated himself to in-person chess
04:21 after he'd been caught cheating to prove himself as a player.
04:24 Although no one has proven that Neiman did in fact cheat in his match against Carlsen,
04:29 many chess fans see chess.com's investigation as damning.
04:32 Neiman himself has even praised the website for its analysis.
04:36 They have the best cheat detection in the world.
04:38 And due to that analysis, chess.com has barred Neiman from its $1 million global championship.
04:44 When Neiman questioned the decision, he was told by chess.com that there always
04:48 remained serious concerns about his cheating and prize events,
04:52 and that there was too much at stake.
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