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Why is Chess.com suppressing custom searches?

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o_KingKull_o

From my blog: Does anyone have any insight into why, exactly, Chess.com has decided to not only pop up a dialog box when a custom search is active for more than 15 seconds without being matched, but to actually take measures (apparently) to slow those searches down? In my case, I don't like to play players rated lower than myself, and regularly search at +20. These searches have recently been running slowly, sometimes for minutes at a time. Suspiciously, if I remove the custom part of the search and immediately search without a filter, I will often immediately get a game with someone rated in the +20 rating points or above range.

This is not proof - but it is confirming evidence that Chess.com is handicapping those, like me, who prefer custom searches. And I don't like it one bit. Why should they care if I want a custom rating range?

notmtwain

I really think you are mistaken. Is it possible that your ratings are already pretty high in the ratings curve, so that when you require games with even higher rated opponents, it takes a while to match you?

Look at this search for who is online with your rating of 1594. At the present time, there are 250 players with that rating in the lists and absolutely none of them were online when I checked. (Shows as "Online Now!-- it may change when you run it.)

You have your choice- faster matching or higher rated opponents.