Indian Grandmaster SL Narayanan had to stand barefoot during detector checking in Germany

Indian Grandmaster SL Narayanan had to stand barefoot in the playing room for a metal detector test during a Bundesliga chess league match in Germany on Monday. Narayanan had to remove his shoes and socks after a beep sound during the test.

Read also: Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2022: Unnati Hooda to spearhead India's challenge

It was later learned that the sound of the beep was coming from under the carpet on the floor. Such investigations have happened before but have intensified since world champion Magnus Carlsen accused US Grandmaster Hans Niemann of cheating.

Narayanan tweeted, "I feel humiliated. And if I prefer to remain silent about it, I'll not be doing justice to myself and other sportspersons who go through similar experiences." The 24-year-old Indian said he was one of the five players chosen by the arbiter for a random check before his first-round match on Monday.

"During the check with a metal detector, there was a beep sound. So, I was told to remove my shoes and they checked again. Beep. Now, I was told to remove my socks. The arbiter then ran the metal detector on my naked foot and we heard the beep again." SL Narayanan added.

He said the situation could have been handled better. "The fact that the arbiter apologized is appreciated. But this whole situation could have been handled better. Yes, we need such vigilant arbiters to prevent cheating in chess but at the same time they should act in some professional way."

"Arbiters should check the floors first before asking weird questions like if they had any surgery or not, before instructing them to remove the shoes and socks. Perhaps, FIDE and tournament organizers will bring about a change and save players from going through such humiliation."

Read also: Three young Indian chess players to challenge in Tata Steel Masters

Replying to Narayanan, FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky wrote: "Sorry for such an unpleasant experience. However as it was not a @FIDE_chess event, I can only readdress the question to the organizers of the particular Bundesliga leg - because FIDE Protocol implies the clothes could be requested to be taken off in the dedicated separate area."