Dutch Player Kicked Out Of Tournament After Phone Found Hidden In Sock

A lower-rated amateur has been kicked out of an open tournament in the Netherlands after being caught with a cell phone hidden in his sock after previously raising eyebrows by defeating much higher-rated masters.

The 26th edition of the Hogeschool Zeeland University Chess Tournament is one of the more prominent tournaments on the Dutch chess calendar, taking place in Vlissingen this week, with the two remaining rounds to be played on Friday and Saturday. GMs Samvel Ter-Sahakyan and Erwin L'Ami head a field of nine GMs and eight IMs among 232 competing players. 

During the seventh round on Thursday, there was controversy when a Dutch player known for competing in the lower tiers of regional chess was kicked out from the tournament for alleged cheating, according to a press release published by schaaksite.nl.

The player had earlier in the tournament raised suspicions by defeating several much higher-rated players with "almost perfect play," according to the organizers. The arbiters then said they observed him heading toward the restroom with a cell phone hidden in his sock.

"Around 12-13 moves had been played when he went to the restroom, and we wanted to scan him. He initially refused, which is equivalent to an admission of guilt. He then allowed the scan, and there was a beep, which he claimed was from his watch. But it turned out to be a cell phone," Chief Organizer Hans Groffen told a local newspaper, adding that they do not want to identify the player.

The player was eventually removed from the tournament and the organizers said they are reporting the player to the Dutch Chess Federation. "Of course, it's unfortunate that this happens to you as an organization, but on the other hand, you're also glad that such bad apples are removed," Groffen said.

Of course, it's unfortunate that this happens to you as an organization, but on the other hand, you're also glad that such bad apples are removed.

—Hans Groffen, Chief Organizer

The player’s previous results in the tournament still stand, pending the organizers' report to the Dutch Chess Federation and an investigation by FIDE's Fair Play Commission. The case could then be referred to FIDE's Ethics & Disciplinary Commission (EDC).

The incident this year marks the second cheating case in the Hogeschool Zeeland tournament. In 2022, a player from Singapore was suspended by the EDC for two years for cheating in the 2019 tournament. The confession, made via email to FIDE more than two years after the event, detailed how he had used the phone to find moves during four of his games. The arbiters had never suspected him of cheating during the tournament.

In 2019, Chess.com also covered the case of a player caught with a phone during the Dutch Open Championship in the Netherlands. The 19-year-old amateur with a national rating of 1512, who had previously been suspected of cheating due to strong results in several tournaments, was eventually caught carrying a phone when he was scanned with a metal detector.

The issue of cheating in both online and over-the-board tournaments has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, with organizers being forced to adopt stricter anti-cheating measures.  The use of metal detectors has become more common during high-profile events, but it's also not unusual to have almost no fair-play measures at all in grandmaster-level tournaments.

Chess.com has contacted the organizers requesting a comment on this story.