Of engines and ethics: Why online chess has a cheating problem

This photo is for representational purposes only

Chess arbiter Preeti Deshmukh follows a player's eye movements just as keenly as she watches their manoeuvres on the board. Anyone whose gaze shifts sharply to the right of left comes under scrutiny. She asks such players to pan the surveilling camera around their room so she can be sure there isn't a chess engine or an enthusiastic relative in the background that is helping them outwit their opponent. "We have to be more on our toes now," says Deshmukh, about monitoring the flourishing yet contentious format of online chess. "Many are taking the cunning which could make them excel in the sport and applying it towards cheating instead."

Computer chess was popular even before the pandemic so when lockdowns began, the world comfortably moved matches entirely online. However, a problem raised its head as more players shunned fair play for easy glory. "No matter what the game is, when there are benefits from winning, you have cheating," Arkady Dvorkovich, president of chess governing body FIDE had said in 2020. A year and some months later, that problem has not gone away.

About a fortnight ago, Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand participated in a simul (an exhibition format where one player plays multiple opponents at the same time) for charity. Three of his opponents - billionaire businessman Nikhil Kamath, director Sajid Nadiadwala, and actor Kiccha Sudeep - were later found to have used engines for significant portions of the matches. In another instance last week, the All India Chess Federation (AICF) took away the National U-18 Online Rapid Chess Championship title from Odisha player Manish Kumar because he used unfair means to win.

Three opponents cheated in their matches against Viswanathan Anand (pictured above) in a charity simul recently. Photo: AFP

The benefits from winning online chess mainly include money, ranks, and bragging rights that could help land various opportunities in the future, including scholarships and jobs. So people across ages and levels of expertise have taken to foul play. "Small children are cheating too, even in practice play," Mumbai-based Deshmukh, who is a FIDE-recognised international arbiter, notes with concern. In over-the-board tournaments, she was alert to tricks where players would sneak in tiny earpieces so someone could feed them moves, or consult their mobile phones during toilet breaks. But online chess is different - cheating is rampant and harder to prove when people play from home.

Boom and Gloom

Among the various hobbies people picked up to keep themselves occupied indoors, chess got a serious boost. "Chess does not require any materials while playing so while a lot of other games got affected, chess survived the pandemic. It switched to online easily," observes Swapnil Bansod, India's youngest elite arbiter, from Nagpur.

The number of players signing up to play in the subsequent period was huge, says Laura Nystrom, spokesperson for Chess.com. "The Queen's Gambit came out on Netflix in the fall of 2020 and chess experienced a surge that hasn't been seen since the days of Bobby Fischer vs Boris Spassky in 1972." The Mountain View, U.S.-headquartered server, among the most popular worldwide, saw its daily active player base grow from one million in March 2020 to four million in June 2021. Following the United States, India is its second largest market, where the number of members has tripled since January 2020. They had a huge spike in interest in March 2020, which faded away until March 2021, when Covid-19 resurged in India, causing another dramatic gain in sign-ups.

Various servers, including the likes of Lichess and Chess24, have their own foul play detection mechanisms. Chess.com has statisticians, computer scientists and chess experts in its investigating team which helps flag and close accounts - 35,000 were closed in May alone, of which 18 belonged to titled players. "In many ‘first time' cases, we offer a chance for admission and apology. This is offered to everyone. If the person who cheated admits to cheating and apologises, then we will sometimes allow the opening of a new account," explains Nystrom.

Checks and balances have been brought in by tournament organisers, nationally and internationally. Sharing of screens is usually obligatory, as is playing with a front-facing camera switched on at all times. Deshmukh asks players to tuck their hair neatly behind the ears so that any devices they may be wearing become noticeable. For national chess tournaments, the AICF has been warning players of bans anywhere between 10 and 15 years as penalty for cheating. Closing the screen unexpectedly results in a yellow card, and two yellow cards lead to further action.

Cheat code

A range of engines - Stockfish, Komodo, among them - are publicly available online and many are free. These programs throw up a move or a list of moves for a particular chess position. As with most inventions, the founding purpose of the chess engine was not to enable cheating. It is supposed to help with practice where players can study moves and strategise to improve their play; any use during in-progress matches is unethical.

It can be obvious when someone is cheating. An unexpected result is a good clue, says arbiter Bansod. For example, a first timer or an unrated player pulling off a win against a district, national, or even international competitor. That leads arbiters to compare their moves with those suggested by engines. Bansod cites the example of a local club tournament last year where someone who had never played over-the-board chess managed to come in third. Post-match analysis hinted that he had used engines in all nine rounds.

Mumbai-based international chess arbiter Preeti Deshmukh

But such charges are usually hard to prove, says Deshmukh. "It is a lot of ‘ifs' and ‘buts'. Sometimes we fall prey and a genuine person also comes under suspicion." Engines are used cleverly - for crucial moves rather than throughout the duration, and in some matches rather than all. Because long bans can be damaging to players' careers, tournament organisers tread with caution while investigating or announcing actions. Their work is made easier when the servers on which they host the tournament detects foul play for them.

While mobile phones were disallowed in over-the-board tournaments, they have been allowed now as some need mobile data for internet connectivity. Having a second device handy makes it easy for people to consult the engine, says Amit Panchal of Chess Guru who runs chess training centres across Mumbai. It is likely that parents are aware when children cheat, adds Panchal.

There are solutions that could somewhat plug these loopholes. Bansod reckons going hybrid, rather than allowing competitors to play from home, would help. "Get players to go to an exam centre and play under the supervision of an arbiter." A lot of the problems also arise because there is no prior record of some players. Coach Panchal suggests that each player should be required to log at least 25 to 30 practice games before competing online. "That way there will be a history of their playing style. That is an extra layer of safety."

The cheaters are spoiling the chances of genuine players, everyone agrees, leading to frustration. Online chess will continue to be popular, regardless of cheating, because it is the only way to enjoy the game in these restricted times. Deshmukh says: "We don't know when the game will come over-the-board again. We might lose another 2-3 years, so whatever you are getting to see, you want to play that."

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