Accusing Someone of Using a Computer

"Here's the game and tell me if you think I was cheating, or why would someone think I was, I thought I played sort of weak".

1. I don't know if you are cheating, I make no comment on that score.

2. The other guy probably thought that you played weakly for the first 19 moves (true) and then finished the game a la Morphy (also true). This series of events probably led him to believe that you turned your engine on when things got tough.

Anyway, nice finish!

Thanks. I didn't think of it that way. Also was my opening really weak? I never really tried something like this, but I felt like up to move 8 it was okay, and after I made some small bumps but then wasn't losing until maybe move 15 and made it worse up to move 19. 

But either way, did I really do the best moves? I felt like 19...Rxf8 was sort of solid as I had the bishop pair. Or even 19...d4 where though the variation I showed doesn't seem the best for black I still had a sort of guaranteed chance. I felt like the moves I did were all based on luck and him accepting it. Like would 19...cxb5 be a computer move? I feel like instead of taking the pawn he could have done a lot more since he was the exchange up anyways. And then after that was sort of just any common moves anyone would consider in that sort of position against a non-castled King. To be honest I wasn't really that proud of this game because I thought it was just a little cheap trick that he fell for that won me the game. Because after move 20 I thought that most people at my level (which isn't too high) would consider that sort of variation. There were no special like sacrifices or anything, I just ignored taking the knight, which really couldn't even go anywhere either way. Plus with CC chess I was able to use the analysis board to go through with these variations.

Anyways that goes more along my point, maybe I did play somewhat good (in his eyes) after move 20, but does it give him the right to accuse of me cheating? I was a little annoyed by the comment "if I wanted to play a computer I would have just done so." Like would this be enough for you to accuse someone of cheating? 

I'm just curious on what people think about the whole concept of using computers on online chess as it ought to be somewhat of a problem as no one can really monitor you. And if anyone else had an incident where they accused someone or got accused by someone else. 

Also if anyone sees this and feels like I was cheating, tell me. It would at least make me feel less agitated by this sort of incident. PrawnEatsPrawn really put it more into perspective though, as I did play quite poorly up until move 19 and played a lot better after. 

Also does anyone know if 19...cxb5 is even a computer move? I feel like it put me in a worse position, but maybe it was the best. 

6. Qd2 Nh6

I don't see a computer putting its knight on this square this early in the game and exposing itself to an exchange with the bishop and stacking its pawns. Something about you "turned your engine on when things got tough" from PrawnEatsPrawn. I don't know about online chess, but live games (especially blitz) it would be a heck of a lot easier to just play the next best move on your own rather than dialing up Deep Blue because I don't have the first clue on how to go about cheating with the help of a computer in the games I play (15|0). Too much hard work for such a cheap win.

I guess Nh6 isn't the best move :/. I thought I'd try it. This game was online chess so it won't be impossible to open up a chess program to help myself to a win. While we are on that topic, I don't actually have a computer program for chess and I feel like it would really help me out in analyzing my games. Does anyone have suggestions on what would be good? Are there any good free one's out there? It seems to be a little pricey to buy one, but it could worth it improves me a lot. Also I have a Mac, but it's about to break down so I might change to a PC (as I don't think I can afford another Mac), so would it be stupid to buy one now, or do the programs work for both platforms?

I don't play the French (though I have often played against it), so here's my uninformed opinion:

1. Nh6 looks horrible, French players usually put that Knight on e7 and from there onto f5 or g6.

2. Having made the hole on g7 (and the awful doubled Rook pawns) you then proceed to recapture on c5 with the Bishop, meaning that you have to lose two tempos to get the Bishop back to g7.

That's only move 8 and you've made at least one questionable move and one outright error (IMHO) with two lost tempos to come. Wouldn't you say that was pretty weak? Quite in contrast to your play in the latter stage of the game.

Does it all give him the right to accuse you of cheating? Not really, he should have just silently reported you, if he felt that strongly. Personally, I think it's a very small sample (usually 400 non-database moves are required for an accurate diagnosis) and not much can be drawn from it.

Block the guy and put the whole experience behind you.

p.s. Here you go:

http://www.chess.com/downloads/playing+programs+engines

thejackbauer, you might find answers to your questions about cheating and detection in the Cheating Forum group. Discussions regarding cheating in the public forums aren't encouraged.

Thanks for your comment again, I guess I really did make it seem like I did a horrible opening, especially with the bishop capture. I guess it's because I'm so used to capturing there with my bishop I forgot about the hole I had created (also because these moves are once a day and I really try to do the opening as quick as possible. 

Anyways, I'm not too caught up in this experience, now. I was more curious on people's thoughts on this idea of using computers to play your game. Internet chess seems to be getting more popular these days and this ought to be a problem. Was more interested on people's thoughts on this, or maybe it's really not that big of a problem. I guess I started this the wrong way.

philidor_position- I think I wrote this the wrong way. I was using my game as more of an example (and maybe I was a little ticked after the incident) to the concept of cheating and accusing someone for cheating in online chess.

You are correct, engine use is a problem with internet chess but as philidor_position said, its not supposed to be discussed here. Join the Cheating Forum group and then message Kohai about the possibilty of transferring this thread there.

I recommend forgeting about the whole thing,

One will allways find such people ;)

Personally i would have replied to his comment like this:

" How dare you! I am not using a computer! I´m using SEVEN!!!" XD

PrawneatsPrawn- Thanks. I guess a discussion about such a topic would just lead to controversy and since it's hard to know for sure. Was a little bit interested in hearing stories about other's in the same-ish situation, but the incident seems to be past now and it seems like this happens quite a lot and it's really not big deal. Deleted my post.

Krumba- Haha, maybe next time. But I was just a little disappointed in how someone could comment like that in a game where I felt like there was no way I could have been cheating (like I thought the moves I did were something like an attempt at scholar's mate, where I could get lucky if my opponent falls for it yet the moves itself aren't the best or something a computer would do- until after he fell for it, where it was just sort of moves that most people would do). But whatever, it's over. 

Nah, just deleted it because after reading some replies, I felt like it might be inappropriate to be discussing such a topic. I was interested in other people's experience with this, but thinking over now, it's just something that probably happens only now and then and the experience is probably all the same. 

But I am interested in opinions about the opening, so I may be posting the game itself in Game Analysis later. I think that I did play inaccurately to some degree, but I sort of liked the position I had until I made a few inaccuracies and then made a mistake. I also used up my weekly computer analysis and it seemed to like my position until my mistake, and gave me an advantage (but Chess.com computer analyzer is supposedly not so good, so not so sure).