Cheaters

A ‘Fair Play violation’ got the YouTube streamer DrLupo booted out of the most recent series of PogChamps, Chess.com’s online invitational tournament for streamers and athletes, which has a $100,000 prize fund. DrLupo’s transgression was not particularly subtle. In elementary fashion, he blundered his queen for two minor pieces at move 11, only to comprehensively outplay his opponent, WolfeyVGC, who outrated him by more than 700 points on the platform.

At first, DrLupo didn’t make things any better by trying to pass it off as an accident. Internet streamers often have a chat window open while they are playing, and inevitably fans will sometimes suggest moves while the games are being played. But DrLupo had not just made one or two unusually good moves. After the initial blunder, he played the entire game perfectly, all the way to checkmate on move 36 – an almost impossible feat without consulting a chess engine.

To his credit, DrLupo later posted an unqualified apology to Chess.com, his opponent, his viewers, the chess community and so on. He went on to offer to pay for the entirety of the next PogChamps series, estimating the total pricetag at $200,000-$250,000. Perhaps that’s just good business for a streamer with 4.5 million followers on Twitch and nearly 2 million on YouTube. But it highlights a serious question for chess. What is a reasonable sanction for those caught cheating, if they do not have the means to make an offer like DrLupo?

When cases of cheating were rare, it was easy to take a lazy view: ban them all for ever. The proliferation of actual cases of cheating demands a bit more nuance. Chess.com can make their own rules, but the international federation Fide has the responsibility of laying down some guidelines. Many of the cheaters are minors – do they deserve the same treatment as an adult? Should reports of online cheating on independent platforms like Chess.com