The award-winning fix that is making online chess fair again.
Associate Professor Nabin Sharma and John McRae, Managing Director of VADR Media. Image: supplied.
The ANZ Sports Technology Awards (ANZSTA) celebrates excellence across data, digital, and technology in sports, media, entertainment, health, and technology.
This year’s awards ceremony gathered leaders and experts from around the world, with panels diving into key issues and trends in the sports tech industry.
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and VADR Media were awarded for their innovative projects ‘Checkmate Live’ and ‘Sixth-I’ in the 2024 Esports and Gaming category. Checkmate Live is a next-generation broadcast and tournament platform for speed chess, featuring an AI-powered assistant developed by the University of Technology’s Australia Artificial Intelligence Institute (AAII).
Led by Associate Professor Nabin Sharma, along with team members Gribesh Dhakal, Garvit Khera, Professor Ling Chen, and Associate Professor Guodong Long, the UTS AAII project team ensures online integrity for Checkmate Live through AI monitoring of players in real-time. The platform’s ‘Sixth-I’ technology can detect both overt and covert cheating methods.
This award from ANZSTA is a proud milestone in our partnership with VDAR Media, as it celebrates our shared commitment to integrity and innovation in digital sports.
Associate Professor Nabin Sharma
"Through our collaboration with VADR Media and the UTS Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute, we’ve developed technology that raises the standard for fair play in Online Chess —a significant advancement for the industry."
John McRae, Managing Director of VADR Media, acknowledged that partnering with UTS to tackle cheating in chess made the insurmountable achievable. "This is a challenge that the world's greatest minds in AI and chess had been unsuccessful at addressing."
"The AAII’s reputation as a world-class center for AI research is well-earned. I strongly encourage other Australian companies and industries seeking a competitive edge to partner with their team. In our case, it made the seemingly impossible, possible, and we're excited about our forward roadmap together.”