Novel Cheating Thru Bluetooth

An Indian news item is doing the rounds in all the popular international tech sites. An Indian chess player apparently hid a Bluetooth device under his cap and got remote (computer) assistance from friends. It seems he has been growing in stature over the last few months and also secured a Central Government job under the sports quota. One wonders how such a thing was not spotted during the earlier stages of his career.

An Indian chess player has been banned for 10 years for cheating after he was caught using his mobile phone's wireless device to win games, chess officials said on Wednesday.

The player, Umakant Sharma, had logged rating points at a rapid pace in the last 18 months and also qualified for the national championship, arousing the suspicion of officials and bemusing rivals.

Sharma was finally caught at a recent tournament when officials discovered that he had stitched a Bluetooth device in a cloth cap which he always pulled over his ears.

He communicated to his accomplices outside the hall, who then used a computer to relay moves to him, Indian chess federation secretary D.V. Sundar said on Wednesday. [Link]