Adafruit's Cheekmate gets to the bottom (ahem) of the chess cheating controversy

[embedded content] The smart folks at Adafruit tested their Cheekmate chess cheat prototype by embedding it in a slice of pork butt.

The internet has been abuzz for weeks over a particularly juicy chess cheating controversy that erupted last month. Reigning world chess champion Magnus Carlsen lost in the third round to 19-year-old upstart Hans Niemann in what was widely seen as a shock upset. Carlsen withdrew from the tournament the next day, and his cryptic comments on Twitter fueled rampant speculation that Niemann had cheated. The fact that Niemann admitted to cheating in online chess games didn't help his case, but he firmly insisted that he never cheated in over-the-board games. /p>

The fierce debate eventually produced a bizarre viral conspiracy theory that Niemann used anal beads to receive coded messages during the game. But would that even be possible? The folks at Adafruit Industries were intrigued enough to put the theory to the test, you know, just to get to the bottom of it. The result is a prototype device called the Cheekmate, as the Adafruit team rightly loves their puny innuendos, complete with a step-by-step guide for those who want to build their own prototype.

This device, Adafruit insists, is not intended for cheating per se: "That would be stupid…in short, a stain on the sport, but to save for later if this type of backdoor intrusion is even plausible or just an internet myth." Lacking human volunteers willing to test the prototype, they ended up embedding Cheekmate in a big, juicy slice of pork butt.

The Carlsen/Niemann affair has been called the most serious chess cheating scandal since the 2006 World Chess Championship, dubbed "Toiletgate" because Veselin Topalov accused his opponent, Vladimir Kramnik, of going too often in the toilet. (Topalov believed that Kramnik was receiving in-game IT assistance via these bathroom breaks, later insisting that network cables had been found in the bathroom ceiling.) possibility - which really sets the current controversy. "The theory is too compelling to ignore," Ethan Gach wrote to Kotaku. "It's crazy, but just about to be done."

Enter Adafruit, which naturally designed the Cheekmate prototype around the company's own products, assuming one-way communication with an accomplice to test the basic idea. (The project also requires a soldering iron.) This includes an Adafruit QT Py ESP32-S2 with built-in Wi-Fi, capable of communicating with any mobile hotspot, such as a cell phone with Wi-Fi tethering capability. Fi, presumably worn by the cheater's accomplice.

Enlarge / A schematic view of the parts that make up Cheekmate Adafruit Industries

Understanding how to communicate with a player in-game was tricky as any type of visible LEDs or audible speakers would be far too obvious. The Adafruit team opted to use a small vibration motor similar to those used in cell phones, along with a small driver board to provide a bit more current. And because the receiving device must be concealed on (or within) a sweaty human body, it had to be encased in something sufficient...