Chess Grandmaster's Toilet Behavior Raised Suspicions

The man who is currently considered to be the 69th best chess player in the world has been booted from the Spanish Team Championship after accusations of cheating involving a mobile phone. The drama:

• Excessive bathroom trips: Chess.com reports the 22-year-old Kirill Shevchenko's prolonged breaks during round two of the tournament raised eyebrows and elicited complaints from his opponent. The arbiter discussed the matter with Shevchenko, who said he was experiencing an issue that necessitated use of the toilet; he was reminded he needed to ask permission first. The bathroom trips allegedly persisted, leading the arbiter to ask a member of the organizing committee to investigate.

• What was allegedly found: That member said a new mobile phone was found inside a stall had Shevchenko used. A handwritten note with it allegedly read, "¡No toques! ¡El teléfono se dejó para que el huésped contestara por la noche!" ("Don't touch! This telephone has been left so the owner can answer it at night!"). Chess.com reports the handwriting was found to be similar to Shevchenko's scoresheets for rounds one and two.
• Shevchenko's alleged behavior: The stall was locked following the phone's discovery. The arbiter says other organizing committee members subsequently saw Shevchenko enter the bathroom, observe the closed stall, and wait for a while before exiting, rather than use an available toilet. That scene reportedly happened more than once.
• The sanction: Chief Arbiter Oscar Bruno de Prado Rodriguez summarized his decision: "Firmly believing and in light of the evidence gathered throughout the investigation that this player has made use of the mobile phone during the game," Shevchenko had his games already played forfeited and was removed from the competition.
• About Shevchenko: The Ukraine-born player has played for Romania since last year, reports ChessBase. He became a grandmaster at age 14 and nine months, and his biggest win was taking the European Team Chess Championship with Ukraine in 2021. He hit a ranking best in 2023, when he was No. 39 in the world.
• Romania's take: CNN reports the Romanian Chess Federation is aligning with Shevchenko for now, saying in a statement that it will await "solid evidence" before coming to any conclusions. "So far, we only have press reports and alleged witnesses, but no official communication. Until then, we are on the side of our chess player, who denies the accusations against him."

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