Male chess player Stanley Omondi, who disguised himself in a hijab to play in the women’s division of the 2023 Kenya Open Chess Championship, is facing a protracted suspension from the game.
According to Victor Ng’ani, the Chess Kenya Disciplinary Committee will begin investigating the situation, upon receiving a formal complaint from the Executive Committee of the Bernard Wanjala-led federation,
If the committee finds Omondi guilty of the offense, Ng’ani said he won’t be barred from sports for life but predicted a lengthy suspension.
“It (the offence) is serious enough to warrant an extensive penalty,” said the 2018 Kenya National Chess Championship winner, and founding chairman of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union (KMPDU).
“Previously we have punished some small offences, including age cheating with a six-month ban. This being a fraud incident, the player will get a lengthy ban if found guilty.”
Omondi disguised herself in a hijab to compete in the ladies division of the competition, which attracted 444 players from 22 nations in the incident that stunned both the local and international chess communities. Nairobi’s Sarit Expo Center hosted the competition from April 5 to April 10.
He completely covered his head, face, and eyes, and the small opening that showed his eyes was covered by spectacles.
He didn’t interact with other gamers as much as the others did.
Omondi, who entered the competition under the name Millicent Awuor, only raised questions after he easily defeated Uganda’s top player Ampaira Shakira (1702) and Gloria Jumba, a past champion of the women’s division of the Kenya National Chess Championship (rated 1487).
Many of the local chess players competing in the tournament started questioning where “she” has been during other important national chess tournaments.
He only acknowledged being a man after being questioned by the tournament’s arbiters in a secret room. He also claimed that his university’s financial issues drove him to cheat in the competition.
The Sh500,000 cash prize for the female section winner was something he had planned to take home.
He claimed that due to the fierce competition, he avoided playing in the Open Section, where Sh1 million was on the line and it was only open to consenting men and women.
He had no chance of winning the Open Section, which featured seven Grandmasters, seven International Masters, seven Fide Masters, and five Candidate Masters.
When contacted by Nation Sport, Omondi declined to delve much on the incident, only stating that he is waiting to defend himself before the Chess Kenya Disciplinary Committee.
But he admitted to being a good chess player, having started playing at a young age.
He plays for a top university in the Kenya National Chess Premier League and has a rating of around 1200.
Jumba said she did not notice anything fishy about him throughout the time that they played.
“I was quite surprised (by the news that he was a man) because I did not notice anything odd about him. He is a good player because his pieces were very active (well placed on the board) and he always capitalised on the mistakes that I was making,” she
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