Now CONKERS is engulfed in ‘bias’ row as it emerges this year’s champion is a judge’s daughter
Now CONKERS is engulfed in ‘bias’ row as it emerges this year’s champion is a judge’s daughter – but officials insist ‘no one had vibrating devices inserted into their body’ in allusion to chess scandal
- Fee Aylmore, 49, won the women’s World Conkers Championship on Sunday
- The school nurse struck gold in the tournament in Southwick, Northamptonshire
- But it emerged her father is ‘King Conker’ David Jakins, 80, a judge at the event
- Miss Aylmore and her father deny ‘cheating’ and the WCC found no wrongdoing
Conkers has become the latest sport facing grumblings over alleged ‘cheating’ after the women’s world champion won the contest – in which her father was a judge.
School nurse Fee Aylmore, 49, successfully clinched the title on Sunday, October 9, during the competition held in the village of Southwick, Northamptonshire.
But it later emerged that Ms Aylmore’s father David Jakins, 80, is guru ‘King Conker’ and a judge at the event, the Daily Star reports.
Mr Jakins is known as ‘the chap who officially starts the championships off’.
Miss Aylmore and her father deny any claims of bias and the World Conkers Championship (WCC) itself held an investigation, which found ‘no evidence’ of any wrongdoing.
But some fans remained sceptical about Ms Aylmore’s victory in the tournament, which saw over 100 people take part.
Women’s champion Fee Aylmore and Men’s champion Randy Topolnitsky, from Calgary in Canada, celebrate their victories at the annual World Conker Championships
Fee Aylmore (right) takes the winning shot of the women’s competition during the annual World Conker Championships on Sunday
Fan David Glew, 76, from Nocton, Lincolnshire, said: ‘It’s bonkers that the conkers champion won a competition with her dad as a judge.’
The women’s champion herself was unfazed by the drama and insisted she had won fair and square.
Ms Aylmore said: ‘I won thanks to practice, luck and pulling the right conkers out of the bag. And anyone who thinks it’s a fix is welcome to try their luck in next year’s championships.’
She went on: ‘If you want something badly enough, keep doing it.
‘It took me 31 years of playing but eventually I won this year and I am totally thrilled.’
She added that her father was ‘super pleased’ to find out that she won.
‘Finally, all his efforts of teaching me how to play paid off.’
Mr Jakins admitted to handling conkers but denied aiding his daughter.
Miss Aylmore’s father is ‘King Conker’ David Jakins, 80, who was one of the judges at the event
CLAIMS OF ‘CHEATING’ WITH ANAL BEADS ROCK CHESS WORLD
Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann, 19, has been accused of using ‘buzzing’ anal beads to cheat through matches
Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann, 19, was accused last week of cheating more than 100 times in online matches.
An investigation into Niemann’s play by respected platform Chess.com found he broke the rules in online tournaments as recently as 2020.
The platform’s 72-page report into cheating in chess stated Niemann had allegedly looked at a separate screen at the same moments he made suspicious moves.
The report also detailed how four grandmasters – the highest ranked players in chess – had admitted to cheating in online games.
Niemann made headlines in September when current world chess champion Magnus Carlsen, 31, suggested he was a cheater.
Amid speculation about whether he cheated when he unexpectedly beat Carlsen in September, there were claims online that Niemann could have used vibrating anal beads to communicate with his coach.
Niemann has steadfastly denied the cheating allegations.
‘I have never cheated in an over-the-board game. If they want me to strip fully naked, I will do it,’ Niemann previously said.
He said: ‘I can understand people saying it’s a fix, especially after what’s happened in chess.
‘But although I’m a judge and I drilled holes in the conkers, I didn’t help my daughter pick her conkers. Our sport is clean and we’re not cheats. We play fair.’
A World Conker Championships spokesperson said: ‘Questions have been raised over whether King Conker helped his daughter win.
‘Competitors pick conkers from a black bag, but there were anonymous accusations the best conker had been selected through a sequence of marks on the string. Our investigation found no evidence of this.
‘The bags the winner selected her conkers from has also been examined, with no signs of tampering found.
‘The winner’s conkers were looked at closely, with no signs of being hardened by being pickled in vinegar, baked in the oven or filled with resin.
‘And we’re not chess – no-one’s had any vibrating devices inserted into their conker or body which we’re aware of.’
James Packer, chairman of the WCC, who lives in Coalville, Leicestershire, said: ‘The women’s champion has been trying to win it for over 30 years – she’s finally managed to achieve that today.
‘The men’s champion is from Calgary, Canada – it’s one of the few times the trophy has been taken abroad.’
He added that seeing people at the event has been ‘tremendous’.
‘It’s been a very friendly, fun, family afternoon.’
All competitors need to follow a stringent set of rules to ensure the event is as fair as possible, which includes the conkers and laces used being provided by organisers, while laces cannot be knotted further or distorted.
Additionally, a minimum distance of no less than 20cm of lace must be between knuckle and nut for both the ‘striking’ and ‘receiving’ players.
Organisers added that conkers are drawn ‘blind’ from a bag, with players being allowed to reject up to three conkers.
To win, the opponent’s conker needs to be smashed and if both are broken at the same time, new conkers will be drawn.
Further rules apply if a game lasts more than five minutes and penalties can also be given for foul play.
Aside from the fun people have at the event, the main aim of the championships is to support charities helping the visually impaired.
Since the event’s inception in 1965, a total of £420,000 has been raised.