Indian chess GM Narayanan hits out at Bundesliga chess league for ‘humiliation’

Indian chess Grandmaster SL Narayanan hit out at the organisers of the Bundesliga Chess League saying that he felt ‘humiliated’

Hyderabad: Indian chess Grandmaster SL Narayanan hit out at the organisers of the Bundesliga Chess League saying that he felt ‘humiliated’ after he was asked to stand barefoot in the middle of the playing hall during a security check.

Taking to social media network Twitter, the 24-year-old Indian described the ordeal that resulted in his loss in the first round match of the season for his team SV Deggendorf.

“I played in the Bundesliga today. Before the first round, I was one of the 5 players picked by the arbiter for a random check. During the check with a metal detector, there was a beep sound. So, I was told to remove my shoes and they checked again. Beep. Now, I was told to remove my socks.

The arbiter then ran the metal detector on my naked foot and we heard the beep again. At this point, I was told to move aside and the next player was asked to step forward. It is hard to explain how bad it felt as if I was guilty of something I had no clue about whatsoever.

“I played in the Bundesliga today. Before the first round, I was one of the 5 players picked by the arbiter for a random check. During the check with a metal detector, there was a beep sound. So, I was told to remove my shoes and they checked again. Beep. Now, I was told to remove my socks. The arbiter then ran the metal detector on my naked foot and we heard the beep again. At this point, I was told to move aside and the next player was asked to step forward. It is hard to explain how bad it felt as if I was guilty of something I had no clue about whatsoever. All this happened in the middle of the playing hall. I held a sock and stood with a bare left foot. Imagine how I might have felt,” he wrote.

“The ordeal soon ended as the security, on hearing the beep in the other player’s foot too, decided to check the carpet underneath only to realise that it was the cause of the beep. The arbiter apologised to me. But I must say how embarrassing it was. And mind you, this happened just minutes before my round. The fact that the arbiter apologised is appreciated. But this whole situation could have been handled better. Yes, we need such vigilant arbiters to prevent cheating in chess but at the same time they should act in some professional way,” he wrote.