High players... Gone!

This week, starting a few days ago, some of the highest rated players' accounts have been deleted. Examples are capablankamonte, PlayCro, Nosferatu (A moderator of the site!) and velemajstorjm. What do you guys think is going on? Also, this forum is for other accounts that have been closed. Name accounts here.

-7thSense-

They were closed for cheating?  Isn't nosferatu a FM or something?

http://www.chess.com/echess/profile/nosferatu

Yep! Nosferatu was an FM, and his account was closed somehow.

This is my favorite:

http://www.chess.com/members/view/ILearnedinJail

This is a problem which I tried to address this summer, playing only the bongcloud opening. There was shift towards high play but was only temporary, it seems.

I don't think that Nosferatu was a moderator. Why do you say that?

 That IS strange.

ZBicylicst, BorgQueen and woodshover; having multiple accounts is one of the possible reasons for being banned for cheating. So nothing strange at all there.

And yes, furtiveking, Nosferatu was not a moderator. He was a titled player. 7thSense mixed that up.

7thSense, simply check the list of caught cheaters from time to time if you wish to look at such a collection. It is updated in regular intervals.

It is in the chess.com rules. And yes, they know very well what they're doing.

How does the rules handle, say, 2 members using the same computer (i.e. fidusbug and I share one household computer :))?

...wait a minute. an FM was caught cheating on chess.com? wtf?

 It isnt that surprising as even GMs have been caught cheating and a few very famous GMs as well......

cheating in tournaments or matches for money? or cheating on pointless chess website games? big difference.

 I've said it before, people will cheat for whatever reason and it doesn't really matter what that reason may be; to them their reason (any reason) for cheating is justified. People just don't have honor, especially when it comes to internet stuff as there are no consequences. It reflects on their parents (or whoever raised them) and they probably don't care about that as well. So don't look for "good" reasons why someone might cheat because to them it's all good, but there are none (even if it is for a lot of money).

I disagree, I think there is some value to asking the question here. Most people do not cheat simply to cheat- they usually cheat for a reason. IE because it gains them something. If someone is a titled FM player, they have already estabilished themself in tournament play(even if they cheated in tournament play, they have still estabilished some prestiege)- why spend their time, and risk the blow to their reputation, cheating on a chess website? I do not think that this question is trivial at all, or easily answered by deferring to failed parenting. Quite the contrary, it is a very interesting question.

 I actually wasn't saying it's a trivial question; all I'm saying is whatever reason there is for anyone to cheat it is not justified, although it will be in the eyes of that individual, no matter what that reason may be. I am also not accusing parents of failed parenting, just that it reflects on them and the individual that is cheating don't care that it does.

It could have been someone else impersonating him.

Amazing! Also, Vladik, G-Aetan_o, and Alexandre_Kojeve's accounts have been closed now also! WAOW!