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On Saturday, March 19, the Disciplinary Committee of the French Chess Federation suspended GMs Sebastien Feller, Arnaud Hauchard and IM Cyril Marzolo, finding them “guilty of a violation of sporting ethics”. The Committee concluded that there was enough evidence that the three players had cheated during the Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk that took place in September 2010. The 19-year-old GM Sebastian Feller, rated 2649, played extremely well at the Olympiad, winning the gold medal on board five with a score of 6/9 and a performance of 2708. Arnaud Hauchard was the French team captain in Khanty-Mansiysk.
Sebastien Feller has categorically denied the accusations of cheating. However, three other members of the French team in Khanty-Mansiysk – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Laurent Fressinet and Romain Edouard – gave their full support to the Federation in investigating the case seriously. Apparently one of the accused had actually admitted to them that there had been cheating.
The French Chess Federation pointed out that Cyril Marzolo had sent nearly two hundred SMS text messages to Sebastien Feller and Arnaud Hauchard during the Olympiad. This was done almost only on the days when Feller was playing, and during his play.
The following information is taken from verbal narrative and from an extensive report in the French chess magazine Europe Echecs,
The statements from a number of witnesses were heard by the Disciplinary Committee.
Joanna Pomian, Vice-President of the French Chess Federation, told the committee that she had uncovered the matter on September 27, 2010. Cyril Marzolo, who was beset by financial difficulties, had worked for her company. Since he was blacklisted by mobile operators she had paid for his mobile phone account. On September 27, Cyril Marzolo was in the Pomian’s home to give back some papers, and while he left the room a few minutes and left his phone on the table. She saw a sms message arriving, from Arnaud Hauchard, mentioning “Hurry up, send moves…”. Subsequently, when checking the dues, she discovered that she had access to the records of the SMS text messages sent during the Olympiad. Pomian said she knew that Feller and Marzolo were very close, and that she has also heard rumors of cheating during the 2010 Paris Championship (which Feller won with 8.0/9 and a 2859 performance).
Laurent Vérat, Executive Director and National
Technical Director in the FCF, testified that on September 30, 2010, Mme
Pomian had contacted him and showed him the phone records, which clearly
showed that there had been cheating.
French Chess Federation vice president Joanna Pomian and President Jean-Claude
Moingt
( with their host Larbi Houari, organizer of the 1st Festival of Marrakech
in June 2010)
Jean-Claude Moingt, the President of the French Chess
Federation, had attended the Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk and said that he
was informed by Vérat on the day of the match against Georgia that
there might be cheating involved. He was able to observe that Arnaud Hauchard
was moving to and from the playing area, typing and speaking on the phone,
but didn't see him signalling moves to Feller. Since he was unable to catch
the player in flagranti Moingt asked team captain Hauchard to remove Feller
from the team for the last round. He also testified that in Khanty-Mansiysk
security only searched the participants for weapons or explosives, but everyone
was free to bring their mobile phone into the playing hall. Asked why he
did not inform the tournament arbiter of his suspicions Moingt replied that
the situation had been quite difficult. He did not have any concrete evidence
in his hands. Moreover, the event was in Siberia and it was unclear what
would happen to the French players if the case was made public. He consulted
Roberto Rivello, president of the FIDE Ethics Committee, who advised him
to handle the case internally.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2721) playing Boris Gelfand (2751)at
the 2010 Olympiad
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave said that he had been very impressed by Feller's game against England's David Howell, but that the moves could be found by a strong GM. He did however notice that Arnaud Hauchard, whom he knows well since they had been training together since 2003, had been extremely tense. In addition Hauchard had admitted to him (in January before the 2011 Wijk aan Zee tournament) that there had been cheating at the Olympiad, but that he himself had not been actively involved. Maxime had passed this on to Laurent Fressinet.
Maxime working together with Hauchard in Wijk back in January 2007
Laurent Fressinet, who was not present at the Committee meeting, sent his testimony by email. After hearing about the cheating suspicions from Maxime he decided to compare Feller’s Olympiad games with those of a strong chess engine, Firebird, that was in fashion with the GMs at the time. He had come to the conclusion that in the games against Russia and Georgia Feller had consistantly played the first choice of the engine, as he did in his game against Howell, where he only deviated from the computer's first choice once, on move 37, in order to repeat moves before the time control. [You can download Sebastian Feller's games in Khanty-Mansiysk here].
Georgia facing France, with Jobava against Vachier-Lagrave on board
one.
Bd |
20 |
Georgia (GEO) | Rtg |
1½:2½ |
10 |
France (FRA) | Rtg |
3.1 |
GM |
Jobava Baadur | 2710 |
½-½ |
GM |
Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | 2721 |
3.2 |
GM |
Mchedlishvili Mikheil | 2628 |
½-½ |
GM |
Fressinet Laurent | 2718 |
3.3 |
GM |
Pantsulaia Levan | 2599 |
½-½ |
GM |
Tkachiev Vladislav | 2632 |
3.4 |
GM |
Gelashvili Tamaz | 2611 |
0-1 |
GM |
Feller Sebastien | 2649 |
France vs England in round five, with Feller (white shirt) vs Howell in
the backtround
Bd |
10 |
France (FRA) | Rtg |
2 : 2 |
12 |
England (ENG) | Rtg |
14.1 |
GM |
Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | 2721 |
½-½ |
GM |
Adams Michael | 2728 |
14.2 |
GM |
Fressinet Laurent | 2718 |
0-1 |
GM |
Short Nigel D | 2690 |
14.3 |
GM |
Tkachiev Vladislav | 2632 |
½-½ |
GM |
McShane Luke J | 2657 |
14.4 |
GM |
Feller Sebastien | 2649 |
1-0 |
GM |
Howell David W L | 2616 |
After two hours of deliberation the Disciplinary Committee pronounced the players “guilty of a violation of sporting ethics.” IM Cyril Marzolo received a five-year suspension, GM Sebastien Feller was sentenced to three years followed by two years of community service with the French Chess Federation or other association chosen by it (if he refuses he will receive an additional two-year suspension). GM Arnaud Hauchard was reprimanded for misconduct and was sentenced to a lifetime ban as captain and coach within the French Chess Federation. The Committee noted that it had taken inot account of age Sebastian Feller at the time of the incident. He was 19 years old at the time of the Olympiad.
M. Morel announced that he would appeal the decision. If this is done in time then Sebastien Feller could theoretically still participate in the European Championship in Aix les Bains, the first round of which is on March 22nd.
From Jean-Claude Moingt and from others involved in the investigation we have learnt the technicalities of the alleged cheating in Khanty-Mansiysk. According to Moingt the system, as revealed in the meeting of October 11, 2010, was as follows:
Arnaud Hauchard had two phones on him, his and that of Sebastien Feller. He would consult them at the bar and then come back to the playing hall. The moves were transmitted to Feller as follows:
Arnaud Hauchard would move around the tables and stop for some time behind different players, e.g. behind the opponent of Tkachiev and then behind Fressinet to signal the square c2. Incidentally it is usually sufficient to signal the destination square – a 2600+ (or even much weaker) player is easily able to determine which piece should be moved there.
FFE accuses its own players of cheating
|
Feller replies: 'I completely deny the cheating accusations'
|
Battesti: 'It's insulting to our president and his
federation' |
French GMs: ''We express our full
support of the FFE |
FFE: cheating not the first time, Biel statement 01.02.2011 – The French Chess Federation disclosed they had evidence that the "organized cheating" accusation, which has rocked the chess world recently, is in fact not the first time. They have now mandated the Federal Bureau to take the case to trial in a court of law. Meanwhile the Organisers in Biel have issued a statement on the same players earlier last year in their Master Group. Open letters. |
FFE Cheating: Judge rules incriminating SMS inadmissible |