Case No. 06/2024: “Alleged cheating at the Spanish Team Championship”
The 2024 Spanish Team Championship, held in October in Melilla, was overshadowed by allegations of cheating involving 22-year-old GM Kirill Shevchenko, who has represented the Romanian Chess Federation since 2023. Playing for Silla, Shevchenko defeated Amin Bassem in the first round and Francisco Vallejo in the second. However, after complaints from both opponents regarding his behaviour, the organisers launched an investigation. Shevchenko was ultimately excluded from the tournament after two rounds, with his results annulled.
Concerns were raised when Shevchenko repeatedly left the board during his second-round game, always visiting the same toilet cubicle for extended periods. Vallejo noted that Shevchenko would return to play several quick moves before leaving again, which prompted him to inform the arbiter. Bassem, his first-round opponent, had already reported similar suspicions. The arbiter’s inquiry coincided with the discovery of a smartphone in the venue’s toilets the day before, accompanied by a note later identified as having been written by Shevchenko. A second phone was also found in the same cubicle.
Tournament regulations required all players to surrender electronic devices, including mobile phones, to the arbiter before play. In light of the evidence, the Arbitration Court ruled that Shevchenko should be disqualified, awarding both of his games to his opponents. Silla appealed the decision, arguing that it had not been conclusively proven that the phones belonged to their player, though the club acknowledged that the suspicions were serious.
Shevchenko denied all wrongdoing, but subsequently left Silla and returned his fee to the team. The club began searching for a replacement, although it was forced to continue with one fewer player in the meantime. Five months later, the First Instance Chamber of the FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Commission reviewed the incident through correspondence and online hearings, and delivered a unanimous decision on the case.
The case has now reached its conclusion. The FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Commission’s Appeal Chamber, chaired by Yolander Persaud, reviewed both Shevchenko’s appeal and a cross-appeal filed by the FIDE Fair Play Commission. The panel unanimously rejected Shevchenko’s challenge, confirming his guilt, while upholding the FPL’s cross-appeal and strengthening the sanctions originally imposed by the First Instance Chamber.
Francisco Vallejo and Kirill Shevchenko | Photo: Heraldo
The final decision
The FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Commission (EDC), in its Appeal Chamber, has issued its final decision in Case No. 06/2024: “Alleged cheating at the Spanish Team Championship”. The appeal panel, led by Chairperson Mrs. Yolander Persaud with members Mr. Khaled Arfa and Mr. Ravindra Dongre, has strengthened the earlier sanctions imposed by the First Instance Chamber (Chaired by David Hater, together with Olga Baskakova and Alan Borda). The Chamber considered both an appeal of Kirill Shevchenko and a cross-appeal of the FIDE Fair Play Commission (FPL), dissatisfied with certain findings made by the EDC First Instance Chamber and the sanction imposed.
Having considered all arguments, the Appeal Chamber has decided, by unanimity of its members, that the appeal by Kirill Shevchenko fails and the guilt is confirmed, whereas a cross-appeal of FPL succeeds and accordingly, the first-instance decision was changed as follows:
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Respondent GM Kirill Shevchenko, found guilty under Article 11.7(e) of the FIDE Disciplinary Code.
Sanctions:
- A three-year worldwide ban from all FIDE-rated events.
- One year of the ban suspended, contingent on the absence of further misconduct.
- The ban runs from 19 October 2024 until 18 October 2026, with the suspended portion in effect until 18 October 2027.
- The Grandmaster title is revoked effective from the date of publishing this decision.
Dana Reizniece, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, underlined FIDE’s firm commitment to chess integrity:
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.
This reflects increasing efforts across FIDE divisions – including Fair Play, Arbiters, and Ethics – to strengthen detection systems, refine preventive training, and ensure swift disciplinary response when needed.
The full text of the decision can be found here:
ethics.fide.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Case_06_2024A_decision_final.pdf
