Kirill Shevchenko, a chess grandmaster representing Romania, has been expelled from a competition in Spain for allegedly using a mobile phone during the contests.
In a statement, Spanish chess body FEDA said Monday that the world no. 69 was reported to have used "mobile devices during the playing of his matches" to be disqualified while he was competing at the Spanish Team Championship in the country's Melilla enclave.
"FEDA maintains its firm commitment against cheating in chess, acting in the strongest possible way in any case which is detected. We profoundly regret that these events have occurred … We also wish to state that, in any case, this individual behavior has nothing to do with the impeccable performance of his Club and the rest of his team members," it added.
His club, Silla - Integrant Col·lectius, said on Facebook that it ended their sporting relationship with 22-year-old Shevchenko over the cheating allegations.
Chess.com has reported that during the opening rounds of the tournament in Spain, Shevchenko was absent from the board for long periods, with his behavior arousing suspicion.
A chief arbiter, Oscar Bruno de Prado Rodriguez, said a mobile phone with a handwritten note was found in a toilet cubicle, which read "Don't touch! This telephone has been left so the owner can answer it at night!"
Arbiters reported similarities in the script and ink on the note with the writing on Shevchenko's scoresheets, with the match official subsequently asking for an investigation.
"Such serious allegations (against Shevchenko) must necessarily be backed up by solid evidence," the Romanian Chess Federation said, adding that they had "zero tolerance for violations of fair-play rules," as they waited for details to emerge on this case.
Ukraine-born Shevchenko switched to represent Romania in 2023. He earned his chess grandmaster title in 2017, when he was 14.