Published on: Aug 30, 2025 06:26 pm IST
Kirill Shevchenko’s GM title has been revoked by FIDE after he was caught hiding a phone in the bathroom during a tournament.
A former world no. 75 chess player, Kirill Shevchenko, has had his Grandmaster title revoked by FIDE, and has also been dealt a three-year ban from all FIDE-rated events. One year of his ban has been suspended, but FIDE revealed that the suspended year is ‘contingent on the absence of further misconduct’. The ban will take place from October 19, 2024, to October 18, 2026. Meanwhile, the suspended portion will be in effect until October 18, 2027.
Initially, he received a three-year ban in a ruling by the First Instance Chamber of the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission (EDC) on March 15, 2025. But the player appealed the decision, and FIDE’s Fair Play Commission also cross-appealed. Also, the EDC First Instance Chamber did not revoke his GM title.
Dana Reizniece, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, said, “FIDE takes cheating cases among top players with the utmost seriousness. We are working hard on both prevention and swift, appropriate sanctions. Ensuring fair play is non-negotiable – it is essential to the credibility and future of our sport.”
Last year, during the Spanish Team C’ship in Spain, a phone was found in a private restroom near the general public facilities. The phone also had a handwritten note, which said, ‘Do not touch! The phone is left for a guest to answer at night.’
Meanwhile, another phone was found in the bathroom the day before. Shevchenko was suspected of placing the phone and using it. He was expelled from the tournament.
One of his opponents also complained to the arbiter that Shevchenko had been spending too much time away from the board. He confessed later to hiding a phone in the toilet, but denied using it to cheat.
