If cheating for charity, write the cheque, mate

Apart from taking the actual raising of funds seriously, how seriously do you take a charity contest? Would you, for instance, take cheating in a charity game lightly, even though the results don’t matter in raising funds? Brokerage firm Zerodha Co-Founder Nikhil Kamath cheated against Viswanathan Anand — and won — in an online celebrity charity chess match on Sunday. It has set the rook among the pawns. The five-time world champion is understandably chessed off. As are all chess people not in a charitable mood towards Kamath. The businessman used computers and people better than him in chess to beat Vishy — otherwise impressive qualities in a businessman. But would there have been such a hullabaloo if, despite Kamath’s chicanery, Anand had won? Every shatranj ka khilari wants Kamath to scrub chequered floors for sullying the hallowed boardrooms of chess.

Sunday’s charity event was to raise funds on the lines of last month’s ‘Checkmate Covid’ organised by Chess.com’s India chapter. That being the purpose of the encounter(s) — celebs like Aamir Khan also pushed pieces against Vishy — we suggest Kamath pay a $20,000 (about ₹14.5 lakh) fine. And, yes, that amount should go to charity. Outraged chess fans can channelise their anger by also donating at akshaya patra.org/checkmate-covid. Crime against chess must pay.