Computers have been beating humans for the past two decades when it comes to games of chess. Chess engines analyze chess variations and generate (a list of) the best possible moves. They are still widely common even though no human player can compete with them, and they keep getting stronger as computing power increases and more games are played. This resulted in additional variables being added into the engines to limit their strength, so that human players could practice against the engines. The engines can mimic human behavior by not continually selecting the optimal move, weakening their game. However, this makes the engine prone to abuse.
Recently, Hans Niemann rose to the top competing against the world’s best players. When playing against world champion and grand master Magnus Carlsen his opponent forfeited his game against the newcomer, hinting at the fact that Niemann might be cheating.
In the most recent investigations, it has been discovered that Niemann has likely cheated over 100 times during online games between 2015 and 2020. Earlier, the player had already been caught after cheating-detection software had marked his online games with suspicious play. Algorithms consider various variables that constitute to the level of play, but also behavioral factors and datapoints about the player themselves. Moreover, the player has admitted to using an electronic device that could give him signals to find the best moves during games.
During a recent upwhirl, new accusations of cheating against Niemann came forward, which have yet to be proved. For physical (high-level) games, players are commonly screened and checked with a metal detector to establish if they are not using devices placed on their body. Therefore, in some cases, players hide phones in the bathroom to consult during a break. Nonetheless, other forms of cheating can still happen without the assistance of technology, such as signals from coaches.
Other forms of sport are also highly regulated when it comes cheating. For highly physical intensive sports, drug test can be taken at random to confirm if athletes are not cheating by taking illegal substances. Checking of technology to cheat therefore seems nothing out of the ordinary, yet there is quite a lot of uproar.
Winning by cheating takes the fun away from the sport, yet players are incentivized by money prizes and fame. Now that these ways of cheating are being uncovered, how long will it take before a new technology can help these players rise to the top?
References
Chappell, B. (2022). Chess world champion Magnus Carlsen accuses Hans Niemann of cheating. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2022/09/27/1125316142/chess-magnus-carlsen-hans-niemann-cheating#:~:text=As%20speculation%20swirled%2C%20Niemann%20admitted,to%20find%20the%20best%20moves
Chess.com (n.d.). Chess Engine. Retrieved from https://www.chess.com/terms/chess-engine
Chess.com (2022). About Online Chess Cheating. Retrieved from https://www.chess.com/article/view/online-chess-cheating
Doggers, P. (2022). Chess.com: ‘Niemann Has Likely Cheated In More Than 100 Online Chess Games’ retrieved from https://www.chess.com/news/view/chesscom-hans-niemann-report-cheating
Such an interesting topic! I heard about Magnus Carlsen abandoning the game a couple of weeks ago and then decided to do a little research on the topic. Apparently, one of the most prominent ‘conspiracy’ theory (also supported by Elon Musk) claims that Niemann is using ‘Stockfish’ (the world’s best computer chess program). How? Niemann is allegedly using wireless vibrating anal beads that use Stockfish to send signals regarding what moves to make.
On an additional note, chess is a highly competitive environment and while technology can definitely help players rise to the top (it is indeed a great tool when it comes to trainings), men keep (consistently) outperforming female players, with the only Hou, Yifan placing in the top 100 Elo rating list (2021). Can technology specifically help female players rise to the top? What do you think?
One of the problems with detecting cheating in chess is that most grandmasters are so good that they would only need assistance for 3 critical moves in order to win against the world champion. It is therefore not surprising that it was not actually the algorithm that started this whole controversy but an observation by Magnus Carlson that his opponent seemed way too relaxed and completely focused on the match.
Detecting engine cheating is possible though. One of the most common ways is to compare the player moves to what the engine would think is the best move and compare how often they match. The reason this works is that engines are able to calculate many more moves in advance, which allows they to execute positions that would be too risky for a human to execute.
Either way, I do hope the chess community finds a way to resolve this cheating issue because cheating like this can be extremely corrosive to the sport.