Cheating in chess

[NickFaulks]

I actually hope it is a scam and anyone who buys one gets royally ripped off

I seriously doubt whether it is possible to buy the product described.

[Joseph Conlon]

I suspect engineering this would be well within achievable capacities - a micro-camera could capture the board, and I'm sure that would then be an easy pattern recognition task for the right software. Whether anyone can turn on 3300 ELO play on and off without people getting hugely suspicious is wholly another matter.

[Roger Lancaster]

I suspect engineering this would be well within achievable capacities - a micro-camera could capture the board, and I'm sure that would then be an easy pattern recognition task for the right software. Whether anyone can turn on 3300 ELO play on and off without people getting hugely suspicious is wholly another matter.

That sounds like a plausible answer to the question I asked earlier today. Having said that, (1) the micro-camera would presumably have to be on the cheat's person and (2) it would have to be above board level otherwise some pieces - notably the larger ones such as king and queen - would sometimes obscure the view of other smaller pieces. That suggests to me that the micro-camera would necessarily be at head height and contained either in headgear or spectacles. Presumably a suspicious arbiter could ask to inspect those items?

[MartinCarpenter]

I suspect engineering this would be well within achievable capacities - a micro-camera could capture the board, and I'm sure that would then be an easy pattern recognition task for the right software. Whether anyone can turn on 3300 ELO play on and off without people getting hugely suspicious is wholly another matter.

That sounds like a plausible answer to the question I asked earlier today. Having said that, (1) the micro-camera would presumably have to be on the cheat's person and (2) it would have to be above board level otherwise some pieces - notably the larger ones such as king and queen - would sometimes obscure the view of other smaller pieces. That suggests to me that the micro-camera would necessarily be at head height and contained either in headgear or spectacles. Presumably a suspicious arbiter could ask to inspect those items?

Well, maybe, but other options. Back in 1977 - small things in shoes:
https://www.online-casinos.co.uk/histor ... ck-cheats/

Or have the camera recognising a code sent somehow in finger gestures. Or even just have it hack into the DGT boards communications. Most invisible perhaps a tiny implant or two in your fingers that can be used to detect where your fingers move as you write them down on the score sheet & to decode that.

Communication from the device to the human certainly doesn't need an ear piece btw. That's far too obvious/unsubtle. Should be able to pass full information via some sort of morse code buzzer implanted under the skin.

But you don't need to pass full information to really help someone play chess. Even just a single under skin buzzer for 'major tactic present' vs not is a huge win. Or you could use two or three and pass a signal about roughly where on the board etc.

You could probably make the whole thing entirely invisible to physical detection.

[Geoff Chandler]

You do not need a micro camra to get the moves.

The electronic boards send the moves to a main computer, an accomplice could hack into that and you get all the games being played.

I'd do that, not to cheat but to mix up the names and the games and watch all the experts commentating about the wrong game.
The after game interview would be good. Imagine Carlsen has lost, the interviewer thinks he has won and says 'Congratulations!'

[Roger Lancaster]

Thanks, Martin and Geoff, some interesting ideas there. Of course it would be a bit annoying to hack into the system, only to find your game had been allocated to a non-electronic board. As for following the moves written on the scoresheet, my score is often illegible in places - notably where I write down "Bg2" and cross it out 10 minutes later when I realise I meant "Bg7" - but the processor would likely still be trying to work out the "Bg2" which made no sense. And, if I was tempted by implants, I suspect I'd wait until technology had improved so that the entire processor could be implanted. But I think you've both come up with still more plausible answers.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Roger,

Running with an undetectable inner ear implant and a hacker accomplice.

If you are down the board order where electronic board are not used due to your grade then you cannot cheat.

To be a successful cheat you must be have a grade approx 2500+ to avoid the raised eye brows and you
are good enough to seek silicon help for only three or four moves max.

You creep up the rating list aiming for 2nd and thirds getting 'better and better'. Once you make 2700 you can
produce a few good tournament wins even upping the anti to 5-6moves received, nobody will suspect a thing.

Make the candidates, that is always a good payday but for heavens sake don't win it.
Then you will need to hire seconds, not doing so will attract unwanted attention and pretty soon
they will discover they are all better than you! You must also split everything 50-50 with your accomplice
who, being a crook themselves will no doubt start blackmailing you for a 30-70 split.

[Matt Bridgeman]

Well if national domination ultimately eludes you, the fallback position would be to create a lengthy LinkedIn profile where you get to sell yourself with statements such as, ‘my chess career has reached the level where I achieved the highest initial grade in history.’

…a story from today - surgically implanted blue tooth device in ear to cheat in medical exams; https://uk.yahoo.com/news/medical-stude ... 38370.html

[NickFaulks]

I have been sent the following information. I do not intend to take this any further myself.


"The Talisman Zero! system is comprised of the following components: 

Dual Processing Units: 2.8Ghz Quad core Kryo 385 and 1.7Ghz Quad Core Kryo 385 processors. Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 64bit Chipset. The system has a performance benchmark of AnTuTu 265163 (v7), 344891 (v8) 

Software: Talisman Zero! V2 Chess Engine (New ELO of 3800+) 

Input: Wireless Remote Control (up to 100 foot range) 

Output: One Bluetooth Earbud, One Bone Transducer Device 

Concealment: 

See attached photos as one example of shoe concealment.  Your imagination is the only limit. 

Our TZ! Support team will assist in designing a concealment methodology, if needed. 

Price: $2999 USD 

Includes full remote control functionality."

[Chris Rice]

The components are exactly the same as a Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus which normally retails for a fraction of the price charged for the Talisman Zero system.

[Roger de Coverly]

The components are exactly the same as aS amsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Difficult to fit that in a shoe though. But how do the processors find out the current position, assumi9ng no accomplice involved and the usual level of scrutiny in OTB chess?

[NickFaulks]

Difficult to fit that in a shoe though. But how do the processors find out the current position, assumi9ng no accomplice involved and the usual level of scrutiny in OTB chess?

I don't know whom you are asking, but you will not find them on this forum. It appears that the manufacturer is keen to answer, but my own role as an intermediary will go no further.

[Ian Thompson]

The components are exactly the same as aS amsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Difficult to fit that in a shoe though. But how do the processors find out the current position, assumi9ng no accomplice involved and the usual level of scrutiny in OTB chess?

It's not difficult to find examples of people strongly suspected of getting computer assistance during OTB games, but with no physical proof they did. The people who've been caught red-handed have been using easily found devices like phones. Has anyone ever been caught using a well concealed device? I'm not aware of any examples of that.

[JustinHorton]

Is that because you have to give your permission to be searched though

[Alex McFarlane]

Not going into detail, but people have been caught with 'invisible' devices.

The conditions of entry should state that if you do not agree to be searched then you are ejected from the event. This has happened at a number of events, usually where the player was under suspicion.