GM Kirill Shevchenko: Banned 3 years for cheating by FIDE Ethics Commission
GM Kirill Shevchenko received a three year ban for cheating (for hiding a phone in the toilet during Spanish Club Team Championship 2024) by the FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Commission that runs till 18th October, 2027 with one year suspension. Shevchenko playing for C.A. Silla – Integrant Col·lectius, became a Grandmaster at 14 years and was a member of the Gold medal winning Ukraine team in the 2021 European Team Chess Championship. Ukraine born Shevchenko plays for Romania from 2023 onwards.
The EDC Chamber of FIDE found that GM Kirill Shevchenko did, in fact, hide a phone in the toilet at the Spanish Club Team Championship 2024 held at Melilla, Spain. Represented by his counsel, Mr. Sabin Gherdan the Respondent GM Shevchenko admitted to hiding a phone in the toilet and using it to access Lichess but denied that he had “effectively” cheated or that his actions influenced the game.
For those who are new to the story, during the second round of the Spanish Club Team Championship 2024 Honor Division, GM Francisco Vallejo Pons complained to the Arbiter about too many visits to the toilet by his opponent GM Kirill Shevchenko. Checking the toilet upon GM Vallejo’s suspicion, the organizing team found a hidden mobile phone with a hand written note in Spanish “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!”). GM Bassem Amin, the Respondent’s opponent in the first round suspected something was amiss, but didn’t pursue it to the logical end. A similar phone was reportedly found in the same toilet after the first round and was left unclaimed.
Based on the evidence found, GM Shevchenko was expelled from the tournament and was given a 75-day-ban pending investigation by FIDE’s Fair Play team (FPL). Upon enquiry the EDC reached a unanimous decision regarding the incident involving GM Kirill Shevchenko (the Respondent):
(a) The Respondent is sanctioned with a worldwide ban of three (3) years, with one (1) year of the sanction suspended.
(b) The Respondent is found guilty of breaching Article 11.7(e) of the Disciplinary Code.
Fair Play Commission wasn’t satisfied with the EDC verdict. “Any penalty for fair play violations should serve as a strong deterrent, reinforcing FIDE’s zero-tolerance stance on cheating. This decision appears too lenient and does not fully reflect our commitment to integrity in chess. We will carefully review the matter and determine whether to file an appeal within the prescribed period,” said Andrew Howie, Chair of the FIDE Fair Play Commission.
Subsequent to the cheating incident, GM Shevchenko’s results in the first and second rounds against GMs Bassem Amin and Vallejo Pons Francisco have both been declared as losses.
The last game played by Shevchenko before the ban came into place.
Shevchenko Kirill (2656) – Vallejo Pons Francisco (2653) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nxe4 4.Qe2 Qe7 5.Qxe4 d6 6.d4 dxe5 7.dxe5 Nc6 8.Nc3 Qxe5 9.Qxe5+ Nxe5 10.Bf4 d6 11.Bg3 h5 12.O-O-O f6 13.Nb5 h4 14.Bf4 Ke7 15.Nxd6 cxd6 16.Bd2 Bg4 17.f3 Bf5 18.Bb4 Rhd8 19.Be2 Rac8 20.c3 Kf7 21.Bxd6 Nc4 22.Bf4 Re8 23.Rhe1 g5 24.Bxc4+ Rxc4 25.Rxe8 Kxe8 26.Be3 a6 27.Rd6 Rc6 28.Rxc6 bxc6 29.Kd2 h3 30.g4 Be6 31.b3 Kd7 32.c4 Kd6 33.Kd3 f5 34.f4 fxg4 35.fxg5 Ke5 36.Bf2 Bf5+ 37.Kc3 Bb1 38.a3 Kf5 39.Kd4
39…Bc2? (39…Ba2 offers better chances for black) 40.b4 Kxg5 41.Kc5 Bb3 42.Kxc6 Bxc4 43.a4 Bb3 44.Kb6 Bxa4 45.Kxa6 Bc2 46.b5 Bd3 47.Ka5 Be4 48.Kb6 Bd3 49.Kc6 Kf5 50.b6 g3 51.Bxg3 Be4+ 52.Kc7 Ke6 53.b7 Bxb7 54.Kxb7 1-0 (Shevchenko was declared lost in view of his admission of cheating).
Photo Courtesy: Kirill Shevchenko X (formerly Twitter) Page
FIDE EDC Chamber decision
