Chess grandmaster kicked out of tournament for cheating with iPod

Georgia chess grandmaster Gaioz Nigalidze has been kicked out of a chess tournament in Dubai after he was caught using an iPod Touch to see which move he could make during a game. The iPod lay rolled in toilet paper in the toilet.

During a chess match by Nigalidze against the Armenian Tigran Petrosian last weekend, his opponent noticed that he literally ran to the toilet after making a counter move. Moreover, he deliberately opted for the same toilet cubicle over and over again. After a complaint to the race management, the toilet was inspected. An iPod Touch wrapped in toilet paper was found behind the toilet bowl. The media player was connected to a social networking site under the name of Nigalidze, while his game was also analyzed by a chess program.

Although Nigalidze denied that he cheated, he was kicked out of the chess tournament. It also looks at his previous chess career, where he also runs the risk of losing his two national chess titles. He can also be banned for up to 15 years under new rules.

The English grandmaster Nigel Short tells The Washington Post that catching a fellow chess player throws a serious stain on the sport of chess. He also believes that today’s compact and fast smartphones have made cheating easier. Together with other professional chess players, he calls on the world chess federation FIDE to tighten the penalties even further.