By Alexandra Savage
During quarantine, I rediscovered the joy of board games. After I ran out of shows to binge on Netflix, there wasn’t much to do besides dust off the boxes of old games in the closet. Admittedly, I have never been good at chess, a fact I realized when a 6-year-old I used to tutor won against me every time we played. However, I’ve always had a soft spot for the game, perhaps due to the long history behind chess. While the true origin of the game is a matter of debate, precursors to modern chess emerged in India during the 7th century, according to Britannica. With such a complex history, there is bound to be controversy within the chess world, and the more I researched, the more increasingly strange scandals I discovered. Chess is serious business, and some players will do anything, no matter how ridiculous, to win. Here are a few of the most unique chess scandals from the past few decades.
1. Anna Rudolf Lipstick Scandal in 2007
Anna Rudolf is a Hungarian chess player who currently holds the titles of International Master and Woman Grandmaster, according to the International Chess Federation (FIDE) website. During this particular incident in 2007, she was competing at the Vandoeuvre Open in France. According to the New York Times, she had defeated her first four opponents in the tournament, one of whom was a French grandmaster. Three Latvians at the competitions grew suspicious of her success and accused her of using a computer to cheat. This begs the question, how could she use a computer in the middle of a chess game? According to fellow participant Marie Boyarchenko who gave an interview to Chessdom, “To be more precise, they said that ‘the secret internet connection was transmitting the best moves with the help of Anna’s lip balm.’” Yes, Anna’s competitors accused her of hiding a computer in her tube of lip balm, an allegation that she denied. However, this incident took a toll on her playing during the tournament, and although she ended with the second-highest rating at the Vandoeuvre Open, the NYT explains that she lost against one of the Latvian players that initially accused her of cheating.
2. ‘Toiletgate,’ 2006
This incident occurred at the 2006 World Chess Championship between Russian player Vladimir Kramnik and Bulgarian player Veselin Topalov. According to FIDE, the World Championship consists of 14 games played over the course of several days. Between the fourth and fifth game, Topalov’s manager issued a statement on ChessBase alleging that “during every game he visited the relaxation room 25 times on average and the bathroom more than 50 times – the bathroom is the only place without video surveillance.” Essentially, the Bulgarian delegation accused Kramnik of using a computer in the bathroom in between his moves. As a result, the FIDE decided to remove the private bathroom for each player. In a response letter posted on ChessBase, Kramnik’s manager wrote, “The reasons that Mr. Kramnik is entering his own bathroom often is simple: The restroom is small and Mr. Kramnik likes to walk and therefore uses the space of the bathroom as well.” Both sides came to a standstill, but in the end, FIDE reinstated the private bathrooms and Kramnik won the championship.
Conclusions
Clearly, chess is more than just a board game, but a complex world with its own set of rules. A strong player needs to master both the skills and the personality to deal with accusations and scandals. Chess may not be as popular as it once was, but it certainly brings drama on par with the best reality shows of today.
