In a bizarre turn of events at the Kenya Open Chess Championship in Nairobi, a sneaky man dressed as a woman managed to cheat his way through to the female section of the tournament.
The cunning impostor, who kept his true identity a secret by wearing a niqab and never speaking to anyone, registered under the name Millicent Awuor, fooling even the tournament staff.
However, his cover was blown when he beat former national champion Gloria Jumba and Ugandan top player Ampaira Shakira, arousing suspicion from other players and the arbiters.
The tournament staff, initially hesitant to intervene, finally decided to investigate after the fourth round, according to Chess.com.
In a private room, the man was asked for identification, and he eventually came clean, admitting that he was a university student who needed the cash.
Despite having an international rating close to 1500 and a blitz rating close to 1750, the impostor player has been kicked out of the tournament and all his points have been awarded to his opponents.
The Kenya Open Chess Championship, which boasts an impressive prize fund of $42,000, has attracted almost 450 players from 22 federations.
The tournament ran from April 6-10, 2023, at the Sarit Expo Center in Nairobi, Kenya.
The bizarre scene followed another major chess scandal that took the world by storm in late 2022, which included wild allegations of using technology — including vibrating “anal beads” — to signal winning moves after a teenage newcomer beat a world champion at a high-stakes tournament.
Hans Niemann, 19, of San Francisco, Calif., caused a major upset when he defeated Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, 31, at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis, Missouri, on Sept. 4, according to VICE news.
In the wake of the stunning result, the chess world exploded into such an uproar that Niemann faced allegations of cheating and was banned from chess.com — and even billionaire Elon Musk weighed in with a tweet mocking online rumors that a rectally inserted device was used in the possible scam.
“Talent hits a target no one else can hit, genius hits a target no one can see (cause it’s in ur butt),” the Tesla CEO tweeted on Sept. 8.
Carlsen is the reigning five-time World Chess Champion while Niemann was the lowest-rated player in the tournament, according to chess.com.
His loss to the newbie ended his 53-game winning streak — and he quickly withdrew from the tournament, which features a $350,000 cash prize.
Observers online were quick to accuse Niemann of using technology to cheat, despite no evidence of foul play.
Players could use vibration-based buttons placed in their shoes to communicate with a chess engine hidden somewhere in their clothing to gain outside advice on what moves to play, VICE reported. The computer systems predict game outcomes and provide recommendations on how to win.
Cheeky.
https://nypost.com/2023/04/13/male-player-disguised-as-woman-at-kenya-open-chess-championship (Archive)
