Sébastien Feller

[JustinHorton]

It seems his case (and that of Arnaud Hauchard and Cyril Marzolo) has finally reached a court - it was heard in Thionville on Monday. There's a variety of French sources that mention the case, but if I correctly understand them (which I doubt) the prosecution are seeking a nine-month suspended sentence and the judgement will be delivered on 27 May.

[This, and indeed this, via the Facebook group No More Cheating In Chess.]

[Roger de Coverly]

It seems his case (and that of Arnaud Hauchard and Cyril Marzolo) has finally reached a court - it was heard in Thionville on Monday.

A slight surprise that the judicial system got involved, but was it perhaps the French equivalent of a private prosecution by the FFE?

[NickFaulks]

via the Facebook group No More Cheating In Chess.]

It seems the only way to find out anything about these groups is to join them, so I have applied. I had to confirm that I was opposed to cheating in chess, but I added that I was also opposed to unsubstantiated accusations of cheating. I don't know whether this will disqualify me.

[Roger de Coverly]

From echecs64

http://echecs64.20minutes-blogs.fr/tag/feller

Malgré de forts soupçons de la FFE, une théorie bidon du "vol du bourdon" (supposément blitz-dansée par Hauchard qui se serait déplacé pour indiquer la case à jouer pour Feller) et bien d’autres choses, le modus operandi supposé n'a jamais été éclairci.

Translation routines have blitz-dansée as blitz-danced but I think it's an idiom for Ballroom dancing and "vol du bourdon" is a reference to the music piece "Flight of the Bumblebee". Box to play should presumably be square to play.

Despite strong suspicions of the FFE, a bogus theory of "flight of the drone" (supposedly blitz-danced by Hauchard who would have moved to indicate the box to play for Feller) and many other things, the modus operandi supposed has never been cleared

[IM Jack Rudd]

via the Facebook group No More Cheating In Chess.]

It seems the only way to find out anything about these groups is to join them, so I have applied. I had to confirm that I was opposed to cheating in chess, but I added that I was also opposed to unsubstantiated accusations of cheating. I don't know whether this will disqualify me.

It shouldn't do. I regularly make posts on there warning about the dangers of witch-hunting.

[Mick Norris]

From echecs64

http://echecs64.20minutes-blogs.fr/tag/feller

Malgré de forts soupçons de la FFE, une théorie bidon du "vol du bourdon" (supposément blitz-dansée par Hauchard qui se serait déplacé pour indiquer la case à jouer pour Feller) et bien d’autres choses, le modus operandi supposé n'a jamais été éclairci.

Translation routines have blitz-dansée as blitz-danced but I think it's an idiom for Ballroom dancing and "vol du bourdon" is a reference to the music piece "Flight of the Bumblebee". Box to play should presumably be square to play.

Despite strong suspicions of the FFE, a bogus theory of "flight of the drone" (supposedly blitz-danced by Hauchard who would have moved to indicate the box to play for Feller) and many other things, the modus operandi supposed has never been cleared

Presumably that last bit is actually the modus operandi has never been clarified (or established?)

[Roger de Coverly]

Presumably that last bit is actually the modus operandi has never been clarified (or established?)

The theory had been that they were exploiting the existence of four board matches to use international postal notation to suggest either moves or squares of interest.

FIDE took it seriously enough to add a rule about where match captains and players could stand.

12,3The team captain must not stand behind the opposing team during play

[JustinHorton]

It seems his case (and that of Arnaud Hauchard and Cyril Marzolo) has finally reached a court - it was heard in Thionville on Monday.

A slight surprise that the judicial system got involved, but was it perhaps the French equivalent of a private prosecution by the FFE?

That's an interesting point. Also, it's nine years since the events took place, which is quite a long time by any standards for a case to come to court.