Bug or Hack: Game has started with Move #4: opponent steals my Queen

Dear,

This morning I started a new online game (14days/move) with a new opponent (ShapperdJohn). I am black, he's white. A couple of hours later I see it's my move, but when I open the game, I see a position that would indicate that the game has already been going for a few moves, even though I haven't touched a piece.

My game summary page indicates that only one move has really happened (# of moves: 1), but my Queen has already been taken, and the game history shows the following: 

4.cxd5

(i.e. the game has started by Move Number 4) - really weird !!!

Here's the game ID: 44606071

I believe this must either be a bug in the chess.com web application, in the mobile Android application that I used, or my opponent has used some kind of (javascript?) hack or similar.

Please have a look at the game:

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=44606071

Many thanks in advance for looking into this issue.

Kind regards,

shukka (Charlie)

B10 Caro-Kann Defence, Accelerated Panov Attack, Pseudo-Scandinavian is the opening in the drop down menu which results in that position.  dajacca, perhaps that one should be removed since black's queen is enprise and complaints like the above will happen.

Hi,

Thanks a lot for your answer.

I see... well, if you start a new game on Android you don't see any starting position so I didn't realise it was such a game. Is this a rated game? I feel that this should not be possible - I start the game with a Queen down !!!

Is there any way I can abandon the game without my rating being affected?

Charlie

Well even though it was a 'technically' legal pre-made setup, it was still an extremely unethical and unsportsmanlike thing for Shapperd to do.

He should certainly be investigated and watched very closely by staff, as having success at one scam will inevitably cause him to try the same thing more times.

"Gullibility or inattentiveness on the victim's part does not excuse unethical behavior on the part of the scammer."

I agree. The rule should be that the game has to have at least a certain number of moves beyond the initial setup for ratings to be affected, e.g., if the game starts on move 5, then points should only be given/taken if the game makes it to move 9 or so.

The comments on that opening suggest that a move may have been omitted, and that the correct move order would probably be 1. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. cxd5 Qxd5. Instead of removing it, maybe fixing it might be better.