Twenty-two-year-old Kirill Shevchenko has become only the fourth player in chess history to be stripped of the GM title, after the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission (EDC) rejected his appeal in one of the most high-profile over-the-board cheating cases ever.
The Appeal Chamber’s decision, announced by FIDE on August 28, finalizes the sanction against the 22-year-old, who will remain banned from FIDE-rated events until October 18, 2026, with an additional suspended year through 2027. The verdict strengthened the initial March ruling by the First Instance Chamber, which imposed the same ban but left Shevchenko’s GM title intact.
“In the present case, not revoking the respondent’s GM title is clearly an inappropriate sanction as it is best illustrated by a comparison with precedent Ethics Cases,” the chamber, led by Yolander Persaud with members Khaled Arfa and Ravindra Dongre, wrote in the decision.
In the present case, not revoking the respondent’s GM title is clearly an inappropriate sanction.
—FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Commission
That makes Shevchenko one of only four players who have had their GM titles removed by the governing chess body. The last one was the late Isa Kasimi (he changed his name from Igors Rausis), who had his title revoked in 2019 for cheating. In 2015, IM Gaioz Nigalidze also lost his GM title after a cheating incident in Dubai. The same year, Alexandru Crisan had also been stripped of his title, although that was for rigging tournament results in Romania.
Born in Ukraine, and representing Romania since his transfer in 2023, Shevchenko has been regarded as a rising star in the chess world with several noteworthy results. He earned the GM title at the age of only 14 in 2017, as one of the youngest-ever, then won the 2021 European Team Championship with Ukraine. He also won a major blitz tournament ahead of GMs Fabiano Caruana and Arjun Erigaisi.
The cheating scandal involving the 22-year-old stems from the 2024 Spanish Team Championship in Melilla, a Spanish enclave on the North African coast, which broke on October 14, 2024.
An investigation was sparked by Shevchenko’s opponent in the second round of the event, GM Francisco Vallejo Pons, who complained to the arbiter that the grandmaster was spending too long away from the board. GM Bassem Amin, his opponent in the first round, had previously raised his concerns privately.
A search by the arbiters eventually led to the discovery of a mobile phone hidden in the toilet, in addition to one handed in by a cleaner the day before. The phone was accompanied by a handwritten note saying “Do not touch! The phone is left for a guest to answer at night.”
Shevchenko was expelled from the tournament and provisionally suspended by FIDE. Days later, he admitted to using a phone to access Lichess during his game against Vallejo, writing to FIDE officials:
I, Kirill Shevchenko, am writing to you regarding the case of cheating against Vallejo Pons on October 13th, where I am accused of using a mobile phone. With the deepest regret, I have to admit that I did this.
With the deepest regret, I have to admit that I did this.
—Kirill Shevchenko
The original verdict was appealed by both sides. A key point in the case was FIDE’s Fair Play Commission (FPL) arguing that treating the case as only “attempted cheating” was wrong, as Article 11.7 (e) in FIDE’s Code of Ethics states that “possession of an electronic device used as a source of information during a game” suffices. They also noted his status as a top-100 player and “ambassador for the game,” and argued that title revocation would be a necessary deterrent.
Shevchenko, on the other hand, argued through his legal counsel that the punishment was excessive and asked for the sanction to be reduced to 12 months.
He also asked the FPL to contribute 10,500 Swiss Francs ($13,000) to his legal fees. He called the three-year term disproportionate, arguing the case involved an “attempt,” and not proven engine use, and that mitigating factors outweighed aggravating ones.
The respondent further argues that revoking GM Shevchenko’s title would constitute a punitive sanction of the highest severity and should be reserved for cases involving direct, serious and proven cheating as opposed to clumsily-attempted cheating.
His lawyers, Sabin Gherdan at Gherdan & Associates and Dr. Madalina Diaconu, previously told Chess.com that Shevchenko was under “extreme psychological pressure” due to having received “credible death threats,” and that these factors should be considered as well.
The Appeals Chamber rejected the arguments, noting that he confessed multiple times to using a phone. The panel found the distinction between “attempted” and “completed” cheating irrelevant:
As mentioned above, the Appeal Chamber finds that the argument and distinction of “cheating” vs “attempted cheating” is irrelevant in this case considering the clear confession made by the respondent. Accordingly, the term of the ban is sufficient when considering the precedent established by the EDC, along with the mitigating and aggravating factors addressed in the first instance.
Shevchenko’s ban will keep him out of FIDE-rated events until 2026, in which he will also not be able to or be present in any FIDE events in any capacity. The EDC noted that he will still be able to work as a private chess trainer or a coach remotely in order to earn an income.
Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, WGM Dana Reizniece, said in a statement about the verdict: “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.”
The verdict can be appealed within 21 days to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Chess.com has reached out to Shevchenko’s legal team and the Romanian Chess Federation with a request for a comment.
