cheating on chess.com

Then you ask them post-game, since that is not an appropriate comment to be answered during the game anyways.  Then if he STILL isgnores you, you look at his past games.  If you have reason to believe he might be cheating, you should contact the staff, who will likely pointedly ask him to explain some of his stronger (and more subtle) moves.

Whether I am playing flesh and blood or a computer program, i just give it my all, and hope for the best.

Can't lose> get beaten by a cheat; get a good chess lesson! I'd much prefer to play a living 2600 rater, though the result would be the same; I would lose

Mandelshtam: Contrary to your view, I think chess.com is overwhelmingly supported by people who enjoy chess, rather than enjoy acting as the hands of a computer.

I have suspected only one person of cheating on this site.  His tournament game against me - and it was his first tournament - was waaaayyy better than his archive games. Also, his opening was clumsy, and then he started playing perfect chess from the mid-game on.

I challenged him directly, after the game, referring both to his previous games and the dramatic improvement midway through our game.  He pleaded innocence, saying that it was simply the first game he had taken seriously. Maybe. S'up to him, at the end of the day.  I also offerred moralising about cheaters only cheating themselves, which I happen to believe is true. I'm sure he will learn that, one day:)

The whole chess cheating controversy reminds me of the principles behind the company eBay.  Bear with me here...  when the CEO of eBay was asked why  eBay was so successful she responded, "because people are generally good".  In other words you would think that with all the opportunity there is to screw people over on that site that it would be jam-packed with dishonest scammers -  yet the VAST majority of buyers and sellers (99.9% of them) do business there ethically and morally. 

The same can be said for chess and cheating.  To think that cheating is out of control on this site is purely paranoia.  Sure there will be some here and there but to say it is widespread and out of control at all levels just reveals that you are out of touch.

To say there will always be cheaters "profiting from using a program" is a bit of a sad statment.  How have you been profiting from using a program to decide your moves?  In your case you can't possibly be proud of your rating since you obviously haven't earned it.  You should really get your account wiped out, even if you continue from here on out without using a program you've already damaged the integrity of this site.

I hate to bust you peoples bubble,but this is not correspondence chess that we play on chess.com.it's called turn-based,meaning based on your turn,you will be notified when your opponent makes a move.

Oh my Lord, my bubble has been completely annihilated!  I don't know what I can turn to now that I know this isn't correspondence chess and is, instead, turn-based!  Who will help us all make it through this crisis of what type of chess we play?!  Oh woe is me!

I am not that great of a player so my level of concern is not relevant.

If I were trying to compete with other players on this site it would

infuriate me to find that they were cheating.  How could they be so

low, and weak.  It is an embarrassment that someone would even think

that an illegal advantage should be taken, because they can get away

with it. 

The best games (at least for me) are always face to face.  Whether

the opponent is a friend, or a player I dislike, it is always satisfying to

be in the real.  I play on line only to practice and grow as a player. 

If the level of competition between higher level players is that critical

some measure of control is warranted -OR- that level of player is just

going to have to accept that someone might be cheating, and deal

with it.  Don't let some one's failure effect you or your attitude.

When I say failure I mean so low they have to cheat.

I know of a person playing USCF correspondence chess that uses computer aids during every move of every game.  His "technique" is to use various programs (two or three) and have it analyze the positions for 12 hours or so.  Then he looks for moves in the move tree.  He doesn't use the recommended "best" move; he always looks for the secondary moves.  In this manner, he thinks that by using multiple programs and secondary moves that no one will will be able to catch him.  If this guy were to apply himself to improving his chess as much as to hide his cheating, he wouldn't need to cheat.  But he still doesn't know squat about chess, or how to analyze, or that feeling you get when you spot "the move."  To all of you out there using "aids"--you are a loser.  I don't care how many games you win, you're a loser.  And I don't care how much higher you are rated than me--what I have is honest and real.  What you have is just sham, and you'll look like the a** you are when you try to have a conversation with a real chess player.

wow, this had me in tears I was laughing so hard.

I reported mandelshtham to the staff.

Much_afraid, people behave not only as they are taught to do, but as they feel is best for them and for others. 

To claim the existence of a moral codex here is incorrect, for the reason that in international correspondence chess, the use of programs is allowed.

I am ONE HUNDRED PERCENT SURE that quite a lot of my opponents use a program. I have experienced many cases where my opponent - rating less than 2200 - makes many times in a row, in a very tactical situation, strong moves , which require analysis of variants that are longer than 10 moves (to be more clear, if he would have considered only variants shorter than, say, 20 halfmoves, he could NOT have found those moves!). The probability not to fail once in 5 moves in a row, in  such a tactical battle, for a player with such rating, is almost zero. 

Nevertheless, in courtroom, such a 'cheating-crosscheck', could not hold. Already because as was stated elsewhere, a clever 'cheater' will eventually make a few weaker moves inbetween.    

Because others do it does not make it right for you to do.

You agreed to the rules.  follow them.

If you suspect that someone is cheating report them.

I'll admit I was incorrect when I said that computers are not allowed in all correspondence chess, but the rule still stands at this site (and really at a majority of correspondence sites you'll find online).  I'm amazed you didn't know this. 

As for the deep thinking example of your opponents beneath 2200 that you mentioned - you do realize that players are able to use the analyze board function in turn-based chess, right?  That might be why some of your  opponents could see so deeply into the position.  You are able to move the pieces around before you make a move which can enable great insight into a position if a player takes the time to do so.  I know in my case since I have been facing tougher and tougher opponents I have started to  analyze positions very deeply. 

Listen, I'm not doubting that you have played a cheater here and there I'm just telling you it's not as widespread as you think.  The fact is many of the players you've used a program against were most likely not using one at all.

I'm not calling you a cheater since it is obvious that you didn't know the rule at chess.com or else you would have never posted.  Still, you did cheat and I'm not sure what can be done to rectify that at this point.

Acctually it is not forbidden in correspondence chess. Some organizations forbid it in their rules, but others such as the ICCF (International Correspondence Chess Federation) do not. The ICCF doesn't ban it because they don't really have anyway to enforce it. The argument has been going on for years, with the logic being that the better player will make better use of the engine. 

I think if you are playing correspondence chess to improve, just play and don't worry about whether or not the other person is a centaur or a mailman. Just play your best, and figure out where you can improve.

Edit: I guess you just responded to this in a post above here.

I admit to have used Fritz 8, since September 2008 (not before, I didn't have one !),  never without checking the variants 'he' suggested. I must also say that I have learned a lot from the 'conversation' with the program. In doing this, my rating increased from around 2100 to around 2350, in short time.

I decided to use the program because I didn't know it was forbidden. Since obviously to me, many of my opponents use programs, I didnt suspect doing something immoral, also because it is explicitely allowed in correspondence chess, and the overwhelming majority of correspondence players uses a program.

Now, unexpectedly for me, some people on this site feel hurt, which I regret, because they did have other expectations. I will therefore leave the site immediately, and not come back. I however hope you guys will discuss this and come to another conclusion sometime.

Books ok.  Book-like online resources ok.  Error checking on programs--not ok, but it won't stop me from playing you.  Go stand in the corner and hang your head in shame!

Thank you for that wonderful example of a harmful attitude.

Madelshtam, I don't think you need to leave the site.  I think just admission to unintentional cheating and moving on should suffice, although I'm obviously not staff.

Everyone is expected to read the rules before they come onto chess.com, so I have absolutely no sympathy. Being too lazy to read them is no excuse. He has I think done the right thing by leaving the site. Although I'm sure he's a decent person, the site's stance on cheating is not that someone is allowed to get away with it just because they didn't read the rules.