43rd World Chess Olympiad

Batumi, Georgia, 23 September – 6 October 2018

ANTI CHEATING MEASURES AND PROCEDURES

Dear friends,

According to the decisions taken by the 2015 Abu Dhabi FIDE Executive Board and the 2016 Moscow FIDE Presidential Board and after clarifications of the FIDE WCOC Commission and FIDE Anti cheating Committee that were applied in the 2016 Baku World Chess Olympiad, the Anti-cheating measures and procedures of the 43rd World Chess Olympiad that will be held in Batumi, Georgia, from 23 September to 6 October 2018, are as follows:

1. BEFORE THE START OF EACH ROUND: the Players and the Captains will walk through X-ray frames (as in the Airports) at the entrance to the Playing Hall, while security staff will check their bags and belongings. They must leave their mobiles, watches and pens in the storage areas and get them back when they leave the playing venue. In order to avoid huge queues in the entrance, Players and Captains shall come to the Playing Hall at least 30 minutes before the start of the round (the bus schedules must be fixed accordingly by the Organizers). The default time for the start of the rounds will be 15 minutes (for instance, the players have the right to be late for the start of the game at the most by 15 minutes. If the players will arrive later, they will be forfeited). After getting their belongings back from the storage areas, players and Captains must not return to the playing area.

2. DURING THE ROUND: there will be fast random checks for approximately 20 to 30 players. The checks will be done by the Anti cheating Arbiters with the use of the non linear scanners and detectors and will take 5 to 10 seconds for every check. These checks will not take place during the times of pressure (during the first time control and close to the end of the game). In the case where there is any indication, a thorough check will follow, according to the art. 11.3.3. of the Laws of Chess (in a private room, in the presence of Sector Arbiter and/or Deputy Chief Arbiter and so on). If a player refuses to cooperate with these obligations, the arbiter shall take measures in accordance with Article 12.9 and will forfeit the player.

3. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE END OF THE GAMES OF EVERY ROUND: there will be thorough random checks for approximately 10 to 20 players, according to the article 11.3.3 of the Laws of Chess (The arbiter may require the player to allow his clothes, bags or other items to be inspected, in private. The Anti cheating Arbiter or a person authorized by the Arbiter shall inspect the player and shall be of the same gender as the player. If a player refuses to cooperate with these obligations, the arbiter shall take measures in accordance with Article 12.9 and will forfeit the player. Priority for the checking will be given to Players who have won their games. Special attention will be given to the top Matches of every Section, where during every Round about 10 players from both Sections will be checked thoroughly. Additionally about 10 more players from the rest Matches of every Section will be thoroughly checked after the end of their games per round. The Sector Arbiter responsible for Anti-cheating, in cooperation with the Chief Arbiter, will decide about the Players who will be checked in every round.

4. All games of all rounds will be checked by Prof. Ken Regan’s programme and the Chief Arbiter and the responsible for the Anti cheating Sector Arbiter will receive daily relevant reports. Suspicious cases according to the report will have always priority for checking during and after the rounds.

5. Any possible Complaints by Players or Captains during the rounds will be handled according to the FIDE Regulations for Anti cheating and the players or captains have to fill the form of the In-Tournaments complaints and so on.

In general:

There will be one Sector Arbiter (IA A’ Cat. Klaus Deventer from Germany, member of the FIDE Anti-cheating Committee and the FIDE Arbiters’ Commission), who will deal only with the Anti-cheating procedure of the Olympiad (he will have no games to control). He will have under his responsibility approximately 20 Arbiters (Anti-cheating Arbiters), who will make the fast checks with the non linear scanners and detectors during the rounds and the thorough checks in a private room, according to art. 11.3. 3. of the FIDE Laws of Chess, immediately after the end of the games in every round. He and the Chief Arbiter will decide which players will be checked and they will give instructions to the Anti-cheating Arbiters.

The Anti-cheating Arbiters, besides checking of the players with the non linear scanners and detectors, will have the responsibility to control the contact of the players while they are walking in the playing area or they are in the toilet area, the bar area or in the smoking area and avoid any discussions between the Players and between Players and other people during the games. Players and Captains may speak between each other only according to the FIDE Laws of Chess and always in the presence of the Match Arbiter and in a language he/she understands.

According to the article 11.2.4. of the FIDE Laws of Chess the Players of every match have to inform the Match Arbiter when they leave the playing area (for example in order to go to the toilet, to the bar or to the smoking area). They are not allowed to leave the playing venue, while their game is still in progress.

The Match Arbiter should keep a (written) record of a player’s suspicious behavior (such as a player leaving very often the playing area or other suspicious circumstances).
In case of a suspicious behavior the Match Arbiter will have to inform the Sector Arbiter and the Anti cheating Arbiters.

The Players will only use pens provided by the Organizers. The pens should be returned to the Arbiters after the end of the game. The Match Arbiters will collect the pens to be available for the next games. No “personal” pens will be allowed to the players.

The Players must not wear any watch. The time will be displayed in several spots inside the playing area.

The Players who have finished their games must leave the playing area. They should never talk to another player who is still playing.

The Players should wear their identifying badges at all times during the round, so that Arbiters can recognize them and perform checks on them.

The Captains are allowed to come to the playing area up to two hours after the start of the round. After their arrival, the Captains are not allowed to leave the playing venue, while their match is still in progress. They must wear their badges at all times during the round. If they want to be replaced by another person, they have to inform the Match Arbiter in writing. The replacement will be allowed only once per round.

There will be separated smoking areas for Captains and for Players in both Sections, in order any contact between them to be avoided. All the smoking areas will be supervised by Anti cheating Arbiters.

In order for the above measures to be successful and any cheating to be avoided during the Olympiad, the smooth cooperation between Players, Captains and Arbiters is needed.

Arbiters must behave in a polite manner and the players must accept the checking without complaints or rude behavior. Captains must inform the players about the above procedures and secure the availability of their Players for any checking.


IA Takis Nikolopoulos
Chief Arbiter
43rd World Chess Olympiad


IA Klaus Deventer
Sector Arbiter for Anti cheating
43rd World Chess Olympiad