Etiquette question

What stops a player from cheating online? The question should be, what makes a player cheat online? From my experience, it doesn't happen much.

 Nothing can keep him, but if he does this often he can be kicked from the site.

Chess.com analyses suspects of cheating correlating their moves with those of the softwares (Fritz, Rybka, etc). If the games are too similar, the cheater is out.

Of course, if someone rarely uses those resources, it is not so easy to proof he really cheated.

Yes, but if they are simulating an entire game, it would likely be spotted.  People who cheat typically don't just cheat once :)  

Thanks for the helpful answers!

It sounds like the "real" online cheating happens more frequently in the higher rated playing. If someone used an engine against me, I would be destroyed, even if it was just for a few moves. But, since I have played chess on at least 5 other sites, and I hold my rating within 100-200 points on all those sites, I don't think it's really a problem in the rating level I'm at.

If i'm playing online, I'm looking for a decently challenging game, hopefully to learn something, and to throw as many resources as I wish at the game.

Now i feel like I appreciate that I'm not supposed to ask for advice for a game, but for myself on this website, I'm ignoring THAT etiquette because I while I feel I'm doing my best with most of my games, at the level I'm playing I feel like it's extremely casual.  I felt fine asking you guys about this.  I acknowledge that may be out of line, but I'm afraid I dont think it's that big of a deal, and I may be offending the chess gods here, but I'm okay with that

(for example, I've looked up how to avoid the scholar's mate as it was happening to me a few times.  I just don't always see it yet, even though I'm getting better at mating patterns)

If my opponent is cheating, there's nothing I can really do, but if you're cheating and you are still at a rating that sort of matches mine, then you suck at chess AND cheating! 

Incidentally, I won the game that we started this conversation with, but now he's trouncing me!  :)

If you offer a draw, and he refuses, then you play on.  Same thing if he offers a draw and you refuse.  Once that has happened, just play.  I would consider it OK for the person who refused a draw earlier to offer a draw later on, if he see's that he can't make headway.  The person who offered the draw the first time would not, of course, be obligated to accept - the position has changed by then, and if you feel you can win, you should play to win.

It is considered bad form to repeatedly offer a draw.  If he refused your last offer, and has not offered a draw himself, then you should assume he does not want to agree to a draw. 

If the players are not high rated players, positions that would be considered a "drawn position" by high level players will often *not* end up as a draw if they are played out.  If the players are not high rated, then one of them (or both) will likely make mistakes that will allow the other to win.  This is also a learning opportunity that you miss if you simply agree to a draw.

There are situations where you can *claim* a draw, as opposed to offering and agreeing to a draw.  Those are a bit different, because they don't require agreement, they just have to meet the rules.  When you offer a draw, and you oppenent agrees, that is called a "draw by mutual agreement".

If there is a threefold repetition, either player can claim a draw.  If he does (and assuming it really is a threefold repetition) then the other player doesn't have to agree.  In a tournament, the arbiter will verify that the position has repeated.

The 50 move rule works the same way.  If 50 moves have passed (by each player) without any piece captured or any pawn moved, then either player can claim a draw.

In both of those cases, if the draw is claimed, then the game ends as a draw.  If, however, neither player claims the draw, then the game continues.

There is a very big difference between offering a draw and having a postion that is likely to lead to a draw. Those positons are called "theoretical draws" because with perfect play, they will lead to a draw.

As a general rule, if you aren't sure how a position will play out, I recommend that you play it out.  How else will you learn?

And especially for lower level players, even if you know that your opponent has the material and position to win, you should play it out unless you are sure that your opponent knows how to win with that material.  I've seen a lot of beginners who have a winning position, but don't know how to force the win.

It is a little odd to see the thread "Etiquette Question" posted by a guy named Skankinfool.

I think most of the etiquette questions go away if you simply disregard anything that took place in chat.

Saying "this should have been a draw" doesn't oblige you to take a draw offer.

Just like if I played a strong opponent and say "I'm sure you're going to beat me", it doesn't mean I have to resign if I start winning.