There have been chess cheating scandals involving grandmasters, hackers and everyday nerds.
But the latest suspect is the mayor of an Italian city.
Loris Cereda, 40, has had an international chess rating for a decade, while he served the good people of Buccinasco, near Milan.
His reputation took a hit last March when he was filmed allegedly taking a $15,000 bribe for awarding a construction contract.
But he had raised suspicions in 2010 when his rating soared from about 2000, that of a talented amateur, to a master’s 2200.
This month he became the first player to be drummed out of the Italian Chess Federation. Three teammates said he ran one of the most sophisticated cheating schemes ever:
Cereda allegedly wore dark glasses containing a super-tiny camera, which transmitted images of his board to a confederate.
The accomplice fed the position into a computer, found the best move for Cereda and passed it on to him through the mayor’s secret earpiece.
Shocking! If you can’t believe in a politician, whom can you trust?
Cereda denied all, pointing out that there were referees and other witnesses who saw nothing. And besides, he said, “As someone who loves this sport, I could not even imagine doing such a thing.”