The Man with the Hat beats Grandmaster Smirin at World Open

When coming to chess events like the World Open Chess Championship to
play for the $40,000 first prize with electronic devices hidden under
your clothing, it is best not to start beating famous grandmasters.
Stick to wins against lower rated players. That is the lesson that
computer electronic engineer Eugene Varshavsky from Israel may have
learned at the World Open in Philadelphia held June 28 to July 4,
2006.

There is still no proof that Eugene Varshavsky, better known as "The
Man with the Hat", was using electronic devices. However, the
circumstantial evidence was considerable. After suspicions arose, he
was invited to the tournament directors room to be searched. He
suddenly exclaimed that he had to go to the restroom and bolted for
the door. He spent about twenty minutes in the toilet stall, then came
out and proceeded calmly to the tournament directors room where he was
searched. The search revealed nothing. After leaving the directors
room, he went back to the same toilet stall and spent another twenty
minutes in there. Nobody had thought to check the toilet stall after
he had left the first time.

Later, a second attempt was made to search him. Again he bolted and
got rid of whatever he had hidden in his hat before he was searched.
Again, the search revealed nothing.

After defeating Grandmaster Smirin, the highest rated player in the
US, in Round 7, he came to the board for Round 8 wearing his usual
hat. Assistant TD Carol Jarecki told him that he had to take his hat
off while playing the game. Eventually he complied, and he lost easily
to Grandmaster Najer.

Finally, before the last round, he was involved in several discussions
with the TDs. He played the game without the hat and again lost
easily.

Grandmaster Smirin, who dropped out of the tournament after losing to
Eugene Varshavsky, complained that he should have been informed that
Varshavsky was under suspicion even before the game was played. Smirin
said that had he known that he might be playing against a computer, he
would have changed his playing style to one designed to foil computer
opposition.

Varshavsky is rated 2169 by the USCF. Here are his results:

http://www.worldopen.com/2006Results/open.html

Round One: Half Point bye
Round Two: Defeated FM Farai Mandizha 2369
Round Three: Drew WGM Nisha Mohota 2387
Round Four: Defeated FM Robby Adamson 2394
Round Five: Defeated FM John Bartholomew 2452
Round Six: Lost to GM Giorgi Kacheishvili 2643
Round Seven: Defeated GM Ilya Smirin 2800
Round Eight (Without the Hat): Lost to GM Evgeny Najer 2697
Round Nine (Without the Hat): Lost to GM Magesh C. Panchanathan 2569

Note that that there was no real proof that Eugene Varshavsky had an
electronic device hidden in his hat. However, his performance rating
for the six games he played with the hat on was 2707, whereas the
performance rating for the two games he played without the hat was
2233.

Meanwhile, a player in the Under-2000 Section had a better plan. Just
play for only $25,000 and defeat unheralded players with low ratings
and nobody will notice. Unfortunately for him, the device in his ear
that he claimed to be a hearing aid was shown to be an electronic
listening device with audio reception capability and the last 16 moves
of one of this games was demonstrated to be exactly the same as had
been recommended by Shredder, the World Champion Computer Program. The
player refused to let the authorities inspect him for other devices
and so he was forfeited and deprived of his substantial money prize.
His results were stricken from the cross-table, but notice that a
player who tied for first got a full point bye in the last round:

http://www.worldopen.com/2006Results/20.html

Very unusual.

Sam Sloan

Here is the only game played by "The Man with the Hat" at the World
Open that was published in the tournament bulletins.

In this game, The Man with the Hat is playing black.. He gives up a
pawn early in the game and appears to be losing.

He recovers the pawn on move 43. Finally, he wins.

This game is over my head. I am unable to judge whether it was part of
a plan or if he just got lucky.

This game needs to be studied. Somebody needs to run it through a
computer to see how probable it was that a human or a computer played
this game for Black.

What we really need to see is the game where he defeated Grandmaster
Smirin two rounds later. I cannot imagine why that game was not
published in the tournament bulletins.

Sam Sloan


[Event "34th Annual WORLD OPEN"]
[Site "Philadelphia United States"]
[Date "2006.07.02"]
[Round "05"]
[White "Bartholomew, John"]
[Black "Varshavsky, Eugene"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2452"]
[BlackElo "2200"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O f6 6.d4 exd4 7.Nxd4
c5 8.Nb3 Qxd1 9.Rxd1 Bg4 10.f3 Bd7 11.Bf4 O-O-O 12.Nc3 c4 13.Na5
Bc5+ 14.Kf1 Ne7 15.Nxc4 Be6 16.Nd2 h5 17.Nb3 Bc4+ 18.Ke1 Bg1
19.Ne2 Bb6 20.Nd2 Bf7 21.Bg3 Be3 22.Nf1 Bc5 23.Bf2 Bd6 24.h4 f5
25.exf5 Nxf5 26.Ne3 Ne7 27.Ng3 Rde8 28.Kf1 Rhf8 29.Kg1 Bg6 30.c3
Nc6 31.Nc4 Be7 32.Nf1 Bf7 33.Nce3 Rg8 34.Nd5 Bd8 35.Nf4 g5
36.hxg5 Bxg5 37.Nh3 Bh6 38.Ng3 Bg6 39.Re1 Ne5 40.Bd4 Nd3 41.Rxe8+
Bxe8 42.Nf5 Bf8 43.Nf2 Nxb2 44.Re1 Bg6 45.Ne7+ Bxe7 46.Rxe7 Re8
47.Rg7 Bb1 48.f4 Re1+ 49.Kh2 b6 50.Be5 c5 51.g4 Nc4 52.gxh5 Nxe5
53.fxe5 Rxe5 54.Rg8+ Kb7 55.Rh8 Bxa2 56.h6 Kc6 57.Nd3 Re7 58.h7
Rc7 59.Ne5+ Kb5 60.Kg3 Bb1 61.c4+ Ka5 0-1

Also see CHEATERS in Evans On Chess


http://www.worldchessnetwork.com/Eng...ans/290702.php

On 6 Jul 2006 16:53:16 -0700, "
wrote:

Also see CHEATERS in Evans On Chess

http://www.worldchessnetwork.com/Eng...ans/290702.php

As computers get smaller and more powerful, and communication devices
get smaller and more sophisticated, I can't see cheating getting
anything but worse. Large class prizes provide a lower profile way
for cheaters to pick up cash -- for example, a real class B player
winning the B section won't attract the same attention as an Expert
winning the Open section. And, in the Open section, who says a GM
couldn't use one for a little extra boost in strength? Buttons,
eye-glasses, wrist-watches, hearing aids, pens, there's no end to it.
The folks that were caught used tools and techniques that will seem
crude in the near future, if not right now.

On Thu, 06 Jul 2006 21:58:16 GMT, (Sam Sloan)
wrote:

[Event "34th Annual WORLD OPEN"]
[Site "Philadelphia United States"]
[Date "2006.07.02"]
[Round "05"]
[White "Bartholomew, John"]
[Black "Varshavsky, Eugene"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2452"]
[BlackElo "2200"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O f6 6.d4 exd4 7.Nxd4
c5 8.Nb3 Qxd1 9.Rxd1 Bg4 10.f3 Bd7 11.Bf4 O-O-O 12.Nc3 c4 13.Na5
Bc5+ 14.Kf1 Ne7 15.Nxc4 Be6 16.Nd2 h5 17.Nb3 Bc4+ 18.Ke1 Bg1
19.Ne2 Bb6 20.Nd2 Bf7 21.Bg3 Be3 22.Nf1 Bc5 23.Bf2 Bd6 24.h4 f5
25.exf5 Nxf5 26.Ne3 Ne7 27.Ng3 Rde8 28.Kf1 Rhf8 29.Kg1 Bg6 30.c3
Nc6 31.Nc4 Be7 32.Nf1 Bf7 33.Nce3 Rg8 34.Nd5 Bd8 35.Nf4 g5
36.hxg5 Bxg5 37.Nh3 Bh6 38.Ng3 Bg6 39.Re1 Ne5 40.Bd4 Nd3 41.Rxe8+
Bxe8 42.Nf5 Bf8 43.Nf2 Nxb2 44.Re1 Bg6 45.Ne7+ Bxe7 46.Rxe7 Re8
47.Rg7 Bb1 48.f4 Re1+ 49.Kh2 b6 50.Be5 c5 51.g4 Nc4 52.gxh5 Nxe5
53.fxe5 Rxe5 54.Rg8+ Kb7 55.Rh8 Bxa2 56.h6 Kc6 57.Nd3 Re7 58.h7
Rc7 59.Ne5+ Kb5 60.Kg3 Bb1 61.c4+ Ka5 0-1


The player who lost the above game has posted the following very
interesting comments on Mig Greengard's Daily Dirt chessninja website:

"In our game, Varshavsky came to the board some 20 minutes
late. He also took a lot of time in the opening ? even on 4. ....
cdxc6. The only strange thing I noticed about his attire was the blue
bucket hat he wore that drooped low around his ears. He wore the same
hat against Adamson in round 4, Kacheishvili in round 6, and Smirin in
round 7 before the TDs made him take it off. Varshavsky sat at the
board the entire time, only getting up briefly after time control was
reached. I never saw his eyes leave the board.

"The game itself was one of the strangest I have ever played.
Varshavsky gave up a pawn on move 14 in a very standard theoretical
position (14?cb5 is almost universally played). After I played
15.Nxc4, I expected to consolidate the extra pawn, trade pieces, and
win in the endgame. However, Varshavsky suddenly put up surprisingly
strong resistance. He began playing fast and I had a difficult time
finding good squares for my pieces. I was particularly struck by the
unpredictability of Varshavsky's moves after move 14. I remember
thinking to myself several times that it felt as though I was playing
against a computer. I did not even consider moves like 26?. ... Ne7,
33?. ... Rg8, 41?. ... Bxe8, and 49?. .... b6 during the game. It was
very frustrating."

http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt/..._concludes.htm

On Thu, 06 Jul 2006 20:11:27 GMT, (Sam Sloan)
wrote:

Meanwhile, a player in the Under-2000 Section had a better plan. Just
play for only $25,000 and defeat unheralded players with low ratings
and nobody will notice. Unfortunately for him, the device in his ear
that he claimed to be a hearing aid was shown to be an electronic
listening device with audio reception capability and the last 16 moves
of one of this games was demonstrated to be exactly the same as had
been recommended by Shredder, the World Champion Computer Program. The
player refused to let the authorities inspect him for other devices
and so he was forfeited and deprived of his substantial money prize.
His results were stricken from the cross-table, but notice that a
player who tied for first got a full point bye in the last round:

http://www.worldopen.com/2006Results/20.html

Very unusual.

Sam Sloan

It is now apparent that the cheater who was caught in the Under-2000
Section was Steve Rosenberg:

http://www.uschess.org/msa/MbrDtlTnmtHst.php?12480813

It is noteworthy that Steve Rosenberg won his three previous events,
all with perfect scores. He scored 19-0 combined in those three
tournaments, thereby raising his rating from 1731 to 1974 in those
three events.

Nobody scores 19-0, not even a master playing against patzers, so it
is apparent that Rosenberg had been cheating and getting away with it
for some time prior to the World Open.

Rosenberg was wearing a hearing aid underneath earphones. This itself
was bizarre. Why woiuld someone wear both ear phones and a hearing
aid?

When the hearing aid was seized by a tournament director, it had a
website address on it that revealed the true nature of the device.

Sam Sloan

On Thu, 06 Jul 2006 21:58:16 GMT, (Sam Sloan)
wrote:

What we really need to see is the game where he defeated Grandmaster
Smirin two rounds later. I cannot imagine why that game was not
published in the tournament bulletins.

Sam Sloan

The game Smirin-Varshavsky has now been posted:

[Event "34th Annual WORLD OPEN"]
[Site "Philadelphia United States"]
[Date "2006.07.03"]
[Round "07"]
[White "Smirin, Ilya"]
[Black "Varshavsky, Eugene"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2169"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5
8.dxe5 Be6 9.Be3 Be7 10.c3 Nc5 11.h3 Nxb3 12.axb3 O-O 13.Re1 Qd7
14.Nbd2 a5 15.Nf1 Bf5 16.Ng3 Bg6 17.Qd2 h6 18.Rad1 Rad8 19.Qe2 b4
20.Rd2 Rfe8 21.Qd1 Qe6 22.Nd4 Nxd4 23.cxd4 f6 24.Bf4 fxe5 25.Bxe5
Qd7 26.Rde2 c5 27.Re3 Bg5 28.f4 Bh4 29.Rf1 Rf8 30.Kh2 Rf7 31.Qd2
cxd4 32.Qxd4 Qa7 33.Ne2 Qxd4 34.Nxd4 Be4 35.g3 Re8 36.Rc1 g5
37.f5 Rxe5 38.gxh4 gxh4 39.Re2 Ree7 40.Rf2 Rc7 41.Rcf1 Rf6 42.Rf4
Rg7 43.R1f2 Kf7 44.Rxh4 Ke7 45.Rg4 Rgf7 46.Kg3 Bxf5 47.Rgf4 Bd7
48.Re2+ Kd6 49.Rh4 Rg7+ 50.Kh2 Rg5 51.Rd2 h5 52.Re2 Rf1 53.Rd2
Be8 54.Rg2 Rxg2+ 55.Kxg2 Rd1 56.Kf2 Rd3 57.Ke2 Bg6 0-1

Uzytkownik "Mike Murray" napisal w wiadomosci
...
On 6 Jul 2006 16:53:16 -0700, "
wrote:

Also see CHEATERS in Evans On Chess

http://www.worldchessnetwork.com/Eng...ans/290702.php

As computers get smaller and more powerful, and communication devices
get smaller and more sophisticated, I can't see cheating getting
anything but worse. Large class prizes provide a lower profile way
for cheaters to pick up cash -- for example, a real class B player
winning the B section won't attract the same attention as an Expert
winning the Open section. And, in the Open section, who says a GM
couldn't use one for a little extra boost in strength? Buttons,
eye-glasses, wrist-watches, hearing aids, pens, there's no end to it.
The folks that were caught used tools and techniques that will seem
crude in the near future, if not right now.

That`s why players should be searched before the game for electronic
devices.

No drug testing as morons from FIDE want but anti-electronic measures should
be taken to chess players.

And of course class prizes should be diminished when talking about lower
classes.

Also see SANDBAGGING in Evans On Chess

http://wcn.tentonhammer.com/print.php?sid=405

Blind Frank wrote:

As someone else pointed out, when there are free tournaments at parks, high
schools, and colleges, there are hundreds of participants. These casual
participants might join the USCF and play in rated tournaments if the fees
were more modest.

http://wcn.tentonhammer.com/print.php?sid=405

.."Perhaps the absence of big money once enabled
chess to retain its innocence. Today the rating system
coupled with lavish class prizes has created a new breed:
sandbaggers." (Larry Evans)

Jeez, Louise! There isn't a tough topic this guy hasn't tackled.

Instead we have to read stuff like how the horsey moves
in the new and improved Chess Lite.