World Chess has announced a partnership with global risk management specialist Pinkerton, to be the Official Anti-Cheating Partner to the FIDE World Chess Championships in London from the 9 to 27 November 2018. Pinkerton will provide services to prevent cheating or player interference to ensure fair play and the integrity of the most important event in intellectual sports.
The FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2018 is taking place at The College, a historic venue in the City of London. The championship will feature a series of 12 rounds between reigning champion Magnus Carlsen, a Norwegian who has held the title since 2013, and American challenger Fabiano Caruana, the first American to contest the title for over 40 years since Bobby Fischer reigned supreme from 1972-75.
Pinkerton’s role will be to deter cheating or other advantage-providing activities. The US-based firm will implement measures such as metal detector scanning, electronic device sweeping, guarding and surveillance, background screening checks. They can also provide on demand by organisers or appeal committee, to deploy a lie detector (polygraph) test if cheating or outside interference is suspected. Prior to the event, Pinkerton authored an assessment on cheating in chess that outlines common cheating strategies, notable incidents of cheating and the best strategy to combat it.
Even though cheating is rare in top-level chess, both players must be sure no cheating or outside help is possible. All the anti-cheating measures are geared towards preventing any suspicion of possible interference and easy way to detect it in case there are concerns.
Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess, said, “thanks to Pinkerton, the name that is synonymous with security for decades, the Championship 2018 is the most protected chess event in history, both in regular security and advanced anti-cheating and fair play measures. Pinkerton employs the most advanced technology, but it’s very much warranted given the interest this match is generating and increased betting and overall profile of the event.”
Rory Lamrock, Pinkerton’s United Kingdom Director, explained, “The World Chess Championships is an extremely high-profile event that has a global following. Any cheating or other related activity could severely damage the brand’s integrity and cause worldwide concern through the competitive chess community. It is our job to ensure that does not happen and I am confident our team is up to the task.”
