The Rule of Law and Chess

This coming Monday and Tuesday are fall break here and there are no classes.  I had originally planned to get out of town over the weekend and compete in the so-called "Millionaire Chess Tournament" being held in Las Vegas, but various law school related deadlines have nixed that idea.  This is the first tournament ever in the world with a million dollar prize fund to be distributed among victors at various levels of chess, ranging from grandmasters to lesser players (like myself).  The usual prize funds in chess are a pittance, especially compared to poker tournaments.  The sponsors are trying to generate publicity and excitement about the game, and have gotten press coverage in the New York Times, and other venues, even though most experts think the sponsors will lose money.  Chess has taken off lately by being used in various school systems and by the establishment, for example, of the St. Louis Chess Club which is now considered one of the most famous in the world (due to its generous patron).  But one of the crucial issues in chess is the problem of cheating, especially when there is a lot of money at stake as in this tournament. 

Chess tournaments have experienced a rash of cheating.  One of the most noteworthy situations occurred several years ago with allegations of cheating by a member of the French chess international olympiad team that involved the player apparently receiving signals from an affiliated spectator, who was receiving moves electronically from a person located elsewhere.  The person elsewhere was relying on a super-grandmaster level chess computer engine.  The French case resulted in substantial litigation.  Another series of incidents involved a Bulgarian player who had several tournaments where he was badly beating much higher rated grandmasters.  This raised a red flag.  The player was essentially banned from various tournaments, and officials finally decided that he was likely using technology in his shoes where he somehow received signals (the player refused to take off his shoes when challenged).  But the more basic problem for ordinary players is the option of an opponent walking away from the board (say going to the bathroom) and sneaking looks at their smart phones which may contain chess engines.  So from what I understand, the Millionaire Chess tournament is banning any electronics in the playing rooms, scanning players who enter for such devices, prohibiting spectators in certain places, and banning the players from going into certain areas while their game is ongoing.  The venue also has "undercover" as well as casino employees monitoring the situation.  It's distressing when games or sports experience these kinds of cheating, but it is even stranger (though not unprecedented) to see it happen in an activity where the goal is a celebration of the power of the mind.