INTEGRITY CRISIS ON CHESS.COM

Okay, so I admit I am writing this with hot blood. Blogs are dishes that are best served cold, or whatever. But as my therapist says, "Anger isn't always bad, and allowing yourself to feel it can provide you with proactive motivation."

So. Deep breath.

Chess.com has an integrity crisis. Yeah I said it: crisis.

Today I played a game against a textbook cheater: vanishes for a minute, comes back playing perfect moves at regular intervals. Check his rating history: 600 to 1650 in two months. I did what you're supposed to do: I reported him. 

Then I check my inbox: ONE HOUR previously, chess.com messages me saying "We restored 10 points to your rating because someone you played against violated our fair play policies." Someone ELSE cheated against me literally a few hours previously. 

That's two in one day. 

I write an email to chess.com expressing my concern. I try to cool off, and start another game. After taking advantage of my opponent's blunder, I capture his rook. He abandons the game. I sit there, waiting for the time to expire.

This is three games in a row with cheaters and abandoners. 

I don't want this to be my chess experience on this website. This is not sustainable. It is not tenable. It puts me in a mental state of constant frustration, leading to a worse game. It nullifies the pleasure I get out of chess. 

Here are a few solutions:

1) Jump ship to a different chess website. 

2) Try to initiate some kind of mass integrity conversation that SOMEHOW hasn't been happening yet despite Niemanngate. 

3) Quit chess.

4) Get hired at chess.com and change their fair play policy to actually have teeth. 

Let's take each in turn. 1) Jump Ship. This is the most simple and immediate course of action, but I have to assume that it would be ineffective because there is no reason to suspect that the actual character of players would be different on, say, Lichess than chess.com. At this point, all these websites are international and different cheating cultures all meld together in one big melting pot of sadness. The only function it would serve would be to spite chess.com, which would be a waste of effort. 2) Initiate a REAL conversation. Clearly this is the best option and the only one with a chance at tipping integrity culture in the right direction. With the massive influx of new players this year, it makes sense that the newbies would be bringing in a lax attitude toward chess-honesty. They may not realize that people on this site actually take chess seriously. Chess.com doesn't seem to be leading the way in this conversation, and frankly neither do leading players, so it falls to the rank and file like me/us to initiate the conversation. 3) Quit chess. As long as chess is simply bringing me stress, there's no point in playing, right? Maybe I should transition to strictly in-person games. Or maybe just quit. Because the experience on this website is not sustainable at this point. Maybe we should ALL quit chess.com. A kind of user-strike. Shrug. Obviously I don't want to do that. 4) Join chess.com and initiate change from within. Sounds hard. 

What has your experience with cheaters been? What do YOU see as the best course of action? Please share your thoughts. Because I am at a loss. 

Chess.com, your thoughts are welcome as well.

-Eric