Country Georgia | ||
 | ||
Born 24 April 1989 (age 27) ( 1989-04-24 ) Titles Grandmaster (2014–2015), FIDE titles (2009) | ||
Georgian chess grandmaster gaioz nigalidze caught cheating after hiding smartphone in tournament
Gaioz Nigalidze (Georgian: გაიოზ ნიგალიძე; born 24 April 1989) is a Georgian chess International Master who was Georgian champion in 2013 and 2014. He held the Grandmaster title from 2014 to 2015.
Contents
2015 Dubai Open incident
He drew attention to himself by cheating at the 2015 Dubai Open. Tigran L. Petrosian, his opponent in the 6th round, complained that Nigalidze had been routinely going to the bathroom during the game in a crucial position. Petrosian had also previously been suspicious of Nigalidze for similar practice when he won in Al Ain in December 2014. He complained to Chief Arbiter Mahdi Abdul Rahim that it was unusual as he was always going to the same stall. After checking the bathroom stall, a smart phone as well as a headset was found hidden behind a pan and beneath some toilet paper.
While Nigalizde originally denied owning the devices, the smart phone was logged into one of his social networking account and his current position was displayed on a program. He was expelled from the tournament. The rules of FIDE strictly prohibit players from using electronic devices capable of communication or analysis during a game, with bans of up to 3 years for a first offence and up to 15 years for a repeat offence. He was subsequently banned for 3 years (until September 2018) and his grandmaster title was revoked. His previous tournaments were also investigated.