Chess Player Who Used Morse Code to Cheat, Gave Himself Away

Dude was beating better players and 'batting his eyelids in the most unnatural way.'

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A chess player has proven to the world that he is worse at cheating than he is at chess, according to the BBC.

Any high schooler knows the cardinal rule of cheating: Even if you have all the answers to the test, make sure you get enough wrong so as not to raise suspicion.

Arcangelo Ricciardi did not get the memo, apparently. He’s ranked 51,366 in chess in the world, but at a recent tournament he was consistently beating much better players.

Officials became suspicious because he was blinking like a madman and kept a thumb under one armpit. He was “batting his eyelids in the most unnatural way,” referee Jean Coqueraut said, according to the BBC.

When approached, Ricciardi refused to open his shirt. They believe he was transmitting the game using a camera to someone with a chess computer, who relayed moves back using Morse code.

Lesson learned: Cheat better or don’t cheat at all.