Report by Korkor Kanor

A dispute that has caused scandal in the world of elite chess, and captured headlines across the globe, is due to be settled in London as chess grandmasters Vladimir Kramnik and José Martínez Alcántara face off between August 19-21. The three-day chess tournament set to answer the question whether widespread cheating in chess is a reality or grandmasters’ delusion. 

Vladimir Kramnik, the 14th World Chess Champion, has voiced strong concerns about cheating in online chess, sharing evidence of widespread deception through easily accessible software. He challenged José Martinez, who represents the new generation of chess players who do exceptionally well online and whose performance raised Kramnik’s suspicions, to a match that was supposed to be played both online and offline.

This match, with full scale anti-cheating measures, was supposed to help answer Kramnik’s suspicions. The rematch will be upgraded to tighten tournament measures, following a controversial encounter in the first ‘Clash of Claims’ tournament in Madrid this June, where technical issues on platform Chess.com led to inconclusive results, further fuelling the debate.

The highly-anticipated showdown will take place at the Guild Esports in Shoreditch with new organisers determined to provide a fair and decisive outcome by utilising its own World Chessarena.com platform, the only platform to feature an anti-cheating engine endorsed by FIDE, the international chess federation. 

The anti-ceating engine allows the platform to offer a superior choice for online chess, providing advanced features and reliability that cater to amateur and professional players – and is set to ensure transparency and integrity throughout the tournament, to bring the ongoing controversy to a close.

With Kramnik's reputation on the line and José Martinez Alcántara seeking redemption, the stakes are high, promising an electrifying competition hosted in-person and on the Chessarena platform, with live commentary from prominent figures in the chess community and interactive segments for viewers worldwide.

Ilya Merenzon, Chief Executive Officer of World Chess, said:

“We are so excited to welcome these two renowned players, once again, to the stage to battle it out in London. World Chess and the FIDE Arena are looking forward to resolving once and for all the fair play allegations raised by Kramnik, and to enhance the reputability of online chess tournaments. 

We are confident chessarena.com will provide advanced anti-cheating measures and a superior platform from which the games will be hosted. 

Online chess is going through a major transformation right now. We are possibly witnessing the ultimate way to address all anti-cheating allegations — by taking an online dispute to the physical board, marking a truly hybrid approach.”

This rematch between the Russian-born Swiss Legend and the Peruvian chess GM promises an epic showdown with stricter anti-cheating protocols to ensure a fair and transparent competition, whilst resolving a major controversy: is online cheating in chess widespread, or is it just grandmaster Kramnik’s paranoia?

The event will be broadcast on the World Chess YouTube channel:

Highlights:

• Hybrid Tournament Format: Experience the mix of face-to-face and online chess matches.
• New Platform Features: Discover Chessarena.com’s innovative features, including in-game emoticons.
• Live Commentary and Interactive Segments: Enjoy live commentary from prominent chess figures and participate in interactive segments.