The absence of the Anglian Avengers 1 team from the On-Line 4NCL Division 1 Semi-Finals, as reported on this website here, turned out to be due to an allegation of one of their players cheating. The captain has now published a detailed explanation of the circumstances in which his team decided to withdraw on the Suffolk Chess website (http://www.suffolkchess.org.uk/). If you are interested in the problem of cheating in the OL 4NCL and its policing, then the article is worth a read.

An irrelevant but curious circumstance is that the club is listed on the 4NCL website as “Anglian Avengers”, whereas the Suffolk Chess website calls it “Anglia Avengers”. The difference is rather like that between “a Scottish football team” and “a Scotland football team”.

Clubs which have withdrawn from the adult on-line 4NCL, due to accusations of cheating which the players and clubs concerned do not accept, include Northumbria Vikings, Surbiton and Anglian Avengers. In the junior OL 4NCL Forest Hall withdrew, though having read thing written by organiser Tim Wall, I am unclear as to whether cheating was accepted by the club to have occurred, in which case withdrawal might be more a matter of honour than protest.

Chessmates were similarly accused of cheating, which they did not accept was true, but they bit the bullet, found a replacement player, and are still in the competition. It seems other clubs/teams have similarly taken the hit and soldiered on. Some accusations, usually based on computer analysis of style of play, will be right, but equally there seem to be incorrect accusations which may dampen some players’ enthusiasm.

The potential legal implications spring to mind. Whilst an organisation like Lichess doubtless has the right to exclude any individual from using its facilities, to give as a reason the suspicion of cheating seems rather libellous!

Steve Mann,

25/06/2020