Kenya: Man poses as woman wearing 'niqab' at chess championship, nearly cheats his way through

In what comes as a bizarre turn of events, a man dressed as a woman managed to cheat his way through a Chess Championship in the African country of Kenya. The man registered himself under the name Millicent Awuor, wore a 'niqab' and managed to take the mickey out of everyone at the tournament before getting caught.

The impostor managed to keep up his act and stormed through the first few rounds. According to the organisers, to keep his identity hidden, the player wore a niqab each day, which left his glasses and eyes visible only. Even during the registration process, he didn't utter a word and only scribbled on the paper during matches.

The tournament executives of the Kenya Open were apprehensive of the said participant but refused to intervene thinking she was an orthodox Muslim woman.

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However, the lid was blown open after Awuor defeated former national champion Gloria Jumba and Ugandan top player Ampaira Shakira. Chief arbiter Antony Kionga stated that as the tournament progressed, both players and his staff noticed that the person in question seemed suspicious. The player had an odd walking style and wore shoes commonly used by men.

Afterwards, Kionga decided to take action and called the 'niqab-clad' woman to a private room and demanded an identification document. No sooner did Kionga ask for the documents, the impostor broke down and admitted to his wrongdoing.

The man, later identified as Stanley Omondi, said he was a university student, desperate for money and that's why he took to cheating.

"The reason was due to financial needs but I deeply regret my action and [am] ready to accept all consequences," he wrote in a letter.

Omondi had an international rating nearing 1500 and a blitz rating close to 1750. He has been booted out of the tournament while his points havebeen awarded to the opponents.

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The rising interest in chess over the last few years meansthat Kenya Open Chess Championship, which took place from April 6-10, attracted almost 450 players and had atotal prize fund of $42,000.

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However, this is not the first instance when a participant has attempted to cheat or allegations of cheating have emerged.

Last year, the chess world was rocked by rumours that top player Hans Niemann was using vibrating anal beadsto win his matches. The speculations had brewed afterNiemann shocked everyone by defeating five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen in the $500,000 Sinquefield Cup, an annual chess tournament held in Saint Louis.

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Afterwards, Carlsen quit the tournament which added fuel to the fire. While Carlsen did not cite any reason for quitting the tournament, most fans believed that it was because of Niemann.

(With inputs from agencies)

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