do you know what i feel like is cheating? when low rated players like myself are trying to follow openings that are provided by chess.com (which i think is fantasitc) and the other player does not follow the opening and does some random move that throws me off leaving me confused on what to do!!!!! thats cheating haha

In the US at least a lot of crimes are "payable" by either paying a fine OR doing jail time (each day in jail counts towards x dollars of the fine). Maybe FIDE could adopt this in cases of banning players for so long ie for x number of dollars the fine is reduced by x number of wks, months, or whatever. Of course who knows what FIDE would use the $ for so I'd like to see a stipulation it goes into a players fund of some sort (ie to help out impoverished IMs and GMs with severe medical expenses etc). As for lifetime bans that should be an option available to FIDE after all "cheating" is a broad term and no one penalty will be appropriate for every individual case.

The whole issue of fines, penalties, bans etc. is really a none issue...if there is not the political will to catch and punish cheaters. Currently, it is so easy to cheat OTB that its a joke. Phones are still allowed and used, bathroom breaks are ill-supervised, everyone mingles with everyone else, sending and receiving messages can be done pretty easily with appropriate codes, games are still being sent out live rather than delayed etc.

Even with the recent cheating occurences there seem to be no "will" to really prevent cheating, and enforcing any penalties written on paper.

We cannot go to "B" before "A"...and my main point is that there is no real want to catch cheaters.

You are correct there are indeed limits to policing, just as in the real world, but this is no argument against vigorous attempts to control the cheating vice. We cannot live in an ideal world on or off line. We must decide if we choose to go or stay. The amount of cheating I encounter does not affect my enjoyment of playing chess. There is always a danger of paranoia especially when loosing.

[Please be careful. This topic is about real world cheating otherwise it would be locked. Moderator]

...I don't believe it's taken seriously, I think "the powers that be" believes that cheating in chess is a small matter, and not worth the time, effort nor cost to correct it...it seems that their policy is more akin to "let's pray that no one intends to cheat in this tournment"...no future thinking...no pro-active approach...only piece meal policies to give the impression that something is being done.

Cheaters deserves nothing less than a life time ban. How can anybody bring such a noble game into disrepute?

I still think that the punishment could not realistically be so severe, since there is also a possibility of false accusations and politics - at least in big tournaments and world championship matches... this could even tear apart some federations - if a part of it does not believe that some respectable GM cheated and they continue playing with him and organize tournaments on their own, etc... it's a recipe for disaster. So I agree with one of the previous posts that such bans should be enforced only after/if the act is repeated in the future - and the punishment for a single cheating act should be something less - but also severe enough to discourage people from trying to cheat.

 define what you mean by cheating? in chess its almost impossible to cheat...thats why chess is such a good sport for kids because you learn lessons by losing fairly...

define what you mean by cheating? in chess its almost impossible to cheat...thats why chess is such a good sport for kids because you learn lessons by losing fairly...

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LOL What planet are you from?

 haha, maybe from Mar. 

:) Chris, this is such a sweet comment. haha  Man, I wished i knew all the openings by the book but I don't.  How can that be cheating? I have learned a few things about openings, and one is....I can't remmber each opening..there's too many!  Don't hate me for it. :p

Are you new here? I think Optimum is not a dude.

 This is hiiarious.

Corrijean, thanks alot! :) It really doesn't matter if ppl think I'm a woman or a man, MOST of the time.  I reckon a picture of a rock doesn't help any.  haha

Guess?

It's a roc. :) No a dodo. The largest flightless pigeon ever.

Weren't they strange looking?!  :)

Lol !!!  That was so good.  That was really funny, Chris!  :)

Good one.