The 25-year-old male chess player made a risky move by dressing as a woman to play in a female-only Kenyan chess tournament.
Stanley Omondi, who was completely covered in a burka, identified himself as Millicent Awour.
Omondi’s bold strategy was uncovered when the organizers became suspicious of the success of this unknown player.
In an apology letter later received by the BBC, he claimed that he had joined the competition because he had “financial needs”. He also said he was “willing to accept all consequences”. Â
While he was likely to receive a ban of “many years,” according to Bernard Wanjala, president of Chess Kenya, he would not be permanently banned from the game.
“We didn’t have any suspicion at first, because wearing a hijab is normal,” Wanjala told BBC Sport Africa.
“But along the way, we noticed he won against very strong players… and it will be unlikely to have a new person who has never played a tournament [being very strong].”
Concerns were raised by his footwear and the fact that Omondi remained silent.
“One of the red flags we also noticed [was] the shoes, he was wearing more masculine shoes, than feminine,” said Wanjala.
“We also noticed he was not talking, even when he came to collect his tag, he couldn’t speak. Ordinarily, when you are playing, you speak to your opponent… because playing a chess game is not war its friendship.”
Officials were reluctant to remove him early on out of concern that they may be accused of profiling due to religious garb. But they did so in the fourth round.
“When he advanced, after he won a very strong match and we called him, he was not surprised,” said Wanjala.
“He acknowledged that indeed he is a man. He regrets what happened, apologized, and said he was only doing that because he had financial difficulties and thought winning the title will help him overcome.”
The Kenya Open, which took place last week, is a yearly event with its headquarters in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
The event this year drew more than 400 participants from 22 different nations. 99 people registered for the women’s division, where the winner would get more than $3,000 (£2,400),Â
Omondi is a well-known chess player, but according to Wanjala, he believed that given the higher level of competition in the men’s portion of the tournament, his chances would be better in the women’s division.
This kind of fraud is a first for Kenya’s chess federation, although has previously dealt with cases of age cheating.
The matter has been forwarded to the organization’s disciplinary committee, which is anticipated to make a decision in the coming days.
“It is an extreme case, the verdict may include a ban. I rule out a life ban, but he may be given several years’ ban from playing chess,” Wanjala explained.
