One of the reasons I thought that was unlikely was personal pride. OpenAI researchers are proud of the work that they do. Cheating by calling out to a chess engine is something they would be ashamed of.

> OpenAI researchers are proud of the work that they do.

Well, the failed revolution from last year combined with the non-profit bait-and-switch pretty much conclusively proved that OpenAI researchers are in it for the money first and foremost, and pride has a dollar value.