The Norwegian Chess Federation is criticized for doing too little to prevent cheating. Former chess president Simen Agdestein believes he is completely wrong.
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At the same time, Secretary General Kristine Marie Ganz says the association is introducing new measures to tackle the problem of cheating.
A new committee, to a greater extent than before, will actively investigate the cheating. So far it has mainly been assessed whether the rules have been violated or not – following concrete notifications.
Now the debate rages on whether the NSF (Norwegian Chess Federation) has failed in its role as a watchdog.
– It is easier to convict someone for murder than to catch someone for cheating in chess, says Ole Valaker.
He is a leader in the Søråshøgda chess club in Bergen.
– A deal has to be made
Valaker says he himself informed the union people about cheating online, but that the union “isn’t interested at all.” This causes the poison to spread through the system, he says.
– There have been several online cases like this where they give up, says Valaker.
He describes NSF as “paralyzed”.
– There must be an agreement with cheating in Chess-Norway. A little too many people think that cheating online isn’t dangerous, she says.
– Need to upgrade systems
When blind player Stein Tholo Bjørnsen received a two-year ban in 2016, there was an opportunity to put cheating on the agenda, Valaker believes.
– I can’t think of anything that has been done since then. It is exactly the same. There was never any deal, and now we’re having it again, she says.
When Bjørnsen later returned to the sport, he was again accused of cheating – and excluded from all tournaments organized by the Norwegian Chess Federation.
General Secretary Kristine Marie Ganz thinks Ole Valaker is taking it hard.
– He might be right about something, we clearly need to update our systems. In the case she refers to, she ended up with a lifetime ban, she replies.
Revenge
Simen Agdestein, who was president of chess from 2021 to 2022, believes it is “completely wrong” that the association has done too little.
– The chess association is very serious. Anti-cheating is worked on as usual and a lot of money is spent on mechanisms to prevent cheating. If a case arises, it is taken very seriously, Agdestein says.
– And that there are many scams, completely unknown to me. There have been a few cases now, but otherwise I’ve hardly recorded anything in my 40-year career, she adds.
Morten L. Madsen, president of chess from 2016 to 2021, answers “yes” to questions about the need for an agreement.
– Yes, after covid-19 and the massive increase in online tournaments, there is an absolute need to work on this. Uncovering more cheats in classic chess also shows that this needs to be worked on harder, Madsen says.
– What do you think should be done now?
– The NSF must first deal with what the FIDE International Chess Federation has plans to do, this is a global challenge and a global responsibility. The NSF should still use the leeway and introduce immediate measures such as additional training for tournament organizers and judges on technical possibilities.
Kristine Marie Ganz acknowledges that the current system, which is supposed to reveal cheating, is not developed well enough.
– What we need is a disciplinary commission, which has a more investigative function. In other words, cases are examined, people interviewed and factual grounds are asked, says the secretary general.
The NSF currently has a regulations committee that decides whether the regulations have been violated or not. They have a limited mandate to investigate. Furthermore: the deception is almost never reported to the association, although there is a separate notification portal.
- There have been no cases to consider in the last year.
- From approx. In 2017, only two cases were reported. Both ended with reactions, a shorter disqualification and a longer one.
– Is this the “tip of the iceberg” with today’s alarm system?
– No, I don’t think so. It is important to remember that cheating is very rare in Norway, says the secretary general.
– What about online chess?
– The technology that makes cheating possible has probably developed faster than our ability to change regulations in line with it. We have work to do in the future. At the same time, there are few gaming platforms in Norway, so we also need to work to find a way to coordinate it internationally.
He says the council decided in September that the new committee is needed and that it can be in place before Christmas.
The Secretary General believes that NSF often ends up between a rock and a nightmare and that more international cooperation is needed.
According to Morten L. Madsen, the association did a lot to tackle scams during his tenure (2016-2021).
– We have dealt with the cases we have come to know and have been reported. They were practically few, but all ended with conviction. In individual cases, NSF has relied on strong experience, for example during the much-discussed Bjørnsen case. We have also involved several people from our chess community on FIDE central commissions, including the Fair Play Commission. NSF has also procured more technical equipment to detect cheating.
– It is true that cases can “fall between multiple chairs”. That the cheat can be reported to the organizer, but never reaches the chess federation?
– Probably true, many of the recently cited cases are unknown to the chess federation to this day. At the same time, we must also remember that everyone’s legal security must be safeguarded in the best possible way.
Simen Agdestein points out:
– Chess.com is a private platform and must clean up its ranks to safeguard its legitimacy. It is not the chess federation that will step in and investigate cheating on Chess.com.
