Male Chess Player Dresses Up To Play In Women's Section For Big Cash Prize, Gets Busted

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While life is full of twists, one no one saw coming is that the world of competitive chess is full of controversy and drama. The latest comes out of Kenya and it involves a man disguising himself as a woman to make a run in a big money tournament.

Stanley Omondi is the newest addition to the bizarro world that is competitive chess. He decided to dress in a full niqab during the Kenya Open Chess Championship, and he very nearly pulled off the stunt.

READ: WORLD CHAMPION CHESS PLAYER MAGNUS CARLSEN LOSES AFTER BRUTAL MOUSE SLIP

Omondi won a few matches, but people became suspicious after he beat Gloria Jumba and Ampaira Shakira, two highly-touted players. Jumba is a former national champion while Shakira is the best player in all of Uganda.

According to Chess Kenya president Bernard Wanjala, it was Omondi's swift wins over the two players that tipped everyone off.

"We didn't have any suspicion at first, because wearing a hijab is normal," Wanjala said. "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 ."

Omondi's choice of shoes didn't help things, either. Apparently, he didn't have any feminine shoes to put on, so his "more masculine" shoes were noticed by tournament organizers as well.

READ: IRANIAN CHESS PLAYER WHO COMPETED WITHOUT HIJAB REPORTEDLY TOLD NOT TO RETURN TO HOME COUNTRY

He registered under the name Millicent Awour and later admitted to his transgression via a letter saying he had "financial needs."

The champion of the tournament was set to win Sh500k, which is just over $3,700.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.