True Lies

 

Is this true or a lie?

A 25-year-old male chess player has disguised himself as a woman to compete in a female open chess tournament. Dressed head to toe in a burka and wearing spectacles, Stanley Ormond registered himself as Millicent Awapouri.

But the daring move was exposed as the organisers got suspicious of the player's success. The president of the chess club, Bernard Walker, said: "We didn't have any suspicion at first, because wearing a hijab is normal…but we became suspicious when he won against very strong players.” 

His footwear and the fact that Omondi did not speak added to concerns. "One of the red flags we also noticed was the shoes he was wearing were more masculine than feminine", Walker said. "We also noticed he was not talking, even when he came to collect his tag. Ordinarily, when you are playing, you speak to your opponent...because playing a chess game is not war its friendship."

Despite their reservations, officials allowed him to continue, afraid they might be accused of profiling because of the religious attire and only ejected him in the fourth round.

Walker said that when challenged, Ormond admitted he was a man and identified as a man. He regretted what happened, apologised, and said he was only doing that because he had financial difficulties and thought winning the title will help him overcome.

True or a lie?