Chess Grandmaster Expelled from National-Level Competition for Alleged Cheating Using Mobile Device

A Romanian chess grandmaster, Kirill Shevchenko, has been expelled from a national-level competition for allegedly using a mobile device during play. Shevchenko, ranked 69th in the world, was competing at the Spanish Team Championship when the incident occurred. The Spanish Chess Federation identified the reason for his expulsion as the usage of mobile devices during matches.

Shevchenko’s draws in the first two rounds were turned into defeats as a result of the cheating allegations. His team, Silla – Integrant Col·lectius, released a statement rejecting any illegal strategies and terminated their relationship with him.

While the Romanian Chess Federation is waiting for solid evidence before drawing a conclusion, Shevchenko denies the accusations. FEDA, the Spanish Chess Federation, thanked Shevchenko’s team for assisting in the investigation and appreciated the work of the refereeing team.

Shevchenko, who previously competed for Ukraine before switching to Romania, earned his grandmaster title in 2017. CNN has reached out to the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for comment on the incident.