by During the Honor Division of the Spanish Club Chess Championship, there were some incidents involving Grandmaster Kirill Shevchenko (FIDE ID: 14129574). Because of these, the FIDE Fair Play Commission started looking into the matter. Vincent Geeraets, the main investigator, found enough evidence to feel confident that there is a strong case against GM Shevchenko.
Kirill Shevchenko, the player, had been using the restroom for long stretches of time during games. When officials searched the stall he had used, they discovered a phone that may have been used to access a computer program for assistance.
After the phone was discovered, Mr. Shevchenko, 22, Ukrainian grandmaster who competes for Romania, was disqualified from the competition, which was a team chess championship in Spain, on Monday.
As per FIDE.com , the request, which was formally presented by FPL Chair Yuri Garrett to EDC Chair Yolander Persaud, is strictly based on the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Code in force: “Art. 12.1e of the Ethics and Disciplinary Code stipulates that a player may be prohibited from participating in chess activities during an investigation. Relevant is art. 12.4a, which indicates that a provisional suspension requires that a prima facie case can be made against the player in question. Art 18.2 of the EDC Procedural Rules indicates that in cases of urgency, such a ban may be imposed directly without the party concerned having been heard beforehand.”
It is of paramount importance to highlight that “Such a provisional suspension, however, would not indicate that GM Shevchenko is guilty of a cheating offense. This needs to be carefully investigated on the assumption that the player is innocent.” To this effect, an Investigatory Panel chaired by Vincent Geeraets has been appointed.
