Tech Shout!

Cheating in college class rooms through the indispensable mobile device is common. But nobody remotely anticipated cheating with the help of a mobile phone in the midst of a chess game.

Umakant Sharma, an Indian chess player was caught using his mobile phone’s wireless device to win games, and has now faced a ban for 10 years, announced chess officials.

Sharma had logged rating points at a rapid pace in the last 18 months and also qualified for the national championship, thereby sowing seeds of suspicion of officials and bewildering rivals.

The Indian Chess Player was finally caught at a recent tournament when officials found that he had stitched a Bluetooth device in a cloth cap which he always pulled over his ears.

He communicated to his accomplices outside the hall, who then used a computer to relay moves to him, Indian chess federation secretary D.V. Sundar said on Wednesday.

“We have banned him for 10 years,” Sundar told Reuters.

The punishment was considered very harsh, especially bearing in mind that those in other sports who have been found to be doping and match fixing did not receive such lengthy suspensions. When officials were asked about the suspension they stated, “We wanted to be frank and send a stern message to all players. It is like cheating on exams.”

Chess officials were also inquiring whether another player had similar advantages through such illegal means, Sundar maintained.