FM Borislav Ivanov Disqualified

Just apply Occam´s razor, Ivanov doesn´t exist.

There's a huge difference between titled players playing extremely accurate moves, and a non-titled ameteur on chess.com suddenly playing moves above super GM level. If you wanted to play chess competitively you would be playing in tournaments. You're not making any money here, so chess.com's verdict isn't of much important. I don't even think you're allowed to protest chess.com closing your account because of cheating. Talk about a mob mentality, they probably just close your account without any warning. I bet they close half of their accounts because they don't like the user, rather than using an engine. No one would even know! Of course TD's shouldn't be able to do whatever they want. If they allowed your opponent to access houdini during the game, would you keep playing?

"There's a huge difference between titled players playing extremely accurate moves, and a non-titled ameteur on chess.com suddenly playing moves above super GM level. If you wanted to play chess competitively you would be playing in tournaments. You're not making any money here, so chess.com's verdict isn't of much important. I don't even think you're allowed to protest chess.com closing your account because of cheating. Talk about a mob mentality, they probably just close your account without any warning. I bet they close half of their accounts because they don't like the user, rather than using an engine. No one would even know! Of course TD's shouldn't be able to do whatever they want. If they allowed your opponent to access houdini during the game, would you keep playing?"

You don't know who I am. I could be a grandmaster in disguise here. There are some masters that have accounts on here without their title on chess.com or other chess  sites because they don't want to be bothered for free lessons and take it easy. However I for sure am not one of those :). If you say " I looked at your history and you don't play like a grandmaster" I can respond with if you looked and Borislav's history, he certianly didn't either.  

 You seem to think everything has a "mob mentality". I don't think that last example has anything to do with a mob. It's like the ole "If you don't agree with me you are racist" trick. I am pretty sure chess.com doesn't close accounts because they don't like them either, Though I suppose since you think playing liked a computer isn't proof of cheating then that's the only other alternative. 

Your last point is kinda funny to read. "No one would even know! Of course TD's shouldn't be able to do whatever they want. If they allowed your opponent to access houdini during the game, would you keep playing?" I don't want to play against Borislav Ivanov :). All kidding aside, I only want to face houdini when I go to play against a computer.  I may not be as angry as if money was on the line, but that doesn't justify cheating online. 

I think this has got a little off topic but it comes down to the fact that comparing moves to the computer to decide if someone is cheating is used commonly, and it is very effective. GM's have been banned for using it online, so it's not much different. Your argument that no one is playing for money so it doesn't matter is not an arguement to these facts. I'd also recommend reading lego pirates breakdown on the percentage of computer matched moves between world champions and Borislav a few pages back. Do you really think he is better than Magnus and all of the sudden?

yah yah yah. This has been beaten to death over 50 pages. Ivanov is cheating, case closed, from now on fun will be strictly enforced.

You're an American. You should know that what happens in court is complete garbage. I would never accept a court's ruling as the truth without some investigation. It's well-known that in general, the richer side's lawyers win.

Plus are you forgetting cases when a man was killed (later proven innocent) because of the court's decision?

The evidence seems quite overwhelming that he cheated, but there are several things that could have been done after the game. Just take him to a private room with his opponent present and ask him to analyze the game. All strong players calculate a lot of variations during the game. If he cannot reproduce anything, or even re-play the moves of the game, then it is indicative of cheating. He could also have had a device in his ear or an implantable device. A physician could search him to check his ears and also look for evidence of an implantable device.

Hey, jumping into a thread and pretending I have no clue about what happened up to then is my schtick.

If you prohibit breaks to the bathroom, what method do you propose to have the players eliminate their wastes?

Here's an idea: http://picblow.com/en/img/5489

Lmao!

.as a relative newcomer to computers and chess.com, i find this discussion fascinating on many levels...thxs   .the "universe" of the chess.com may be relatively small but its significant...right?   .it is to me...so...mr ivanov, you are becoming a folk heroe in our wee universe   .like "pretty boy floyd", "matty groves", "the highwayman"   .how are you handling the notoriety?   .im most very interested in what motivates you   .you have a lot of very "smart" people confounded   i dont judge individuals..thats each persons reality and fate ...but please enlighten brother

Ivanov isnt likely to post here. He is accused of cheating not at chess.com, but in the "real" world. We are just discussing what is happening in Bulgaria. 

cookiemonster161140 "... Ooops - that woman there? Those breasts are implants with a Rasberry PI computer embedded inside."

At last someone with both a sense of humor and hitting the nail right  on the head. I applaud you!!! I guess the next time I  see a woman talking into her breats I can assume she is  cheating?!?  

What makes you think Ivanov isn't likely to post here? For all we know he has already posted many times under one of the essentially anonymous chess.com profiles on this thread. Considering chess.com is the most popular chess website in the world, Ivanov is a controverisal chess player and this is a discussion thread discussing the controversy surrounding him... well... one could easily draw the opposite conclusion... although I must of course admit I have no direct proof either way...  My wild stab-in-the-dark conjecture would be that if Ivanov has indeed been posting on this thread he would be posting under one of the profiles that has been consistently defending Ivanov to date... Considering that this thread has already gone on for over 50 pages, if anything, provides additional support for this hypothesis...

Or under more than one of them. 

There are maybe 20 people who are posting on this thread. The numbers alone make it unlikely.

Perhaps I overemphasized the idea of a "mob mentality". I just want to caution people so that they avoid acting like a mob. Some people even think they are a mob.

If someone legitimitely plays as good as houdini, they should be able to without being accused of cheating. If someone learned chess by only playing a computer, they would probably play moves that a computer usually makes which a human doesn't. That being said Ivanov has no excuse like that. Online I think it is totally justified to ban someone based on statistical analysis. Although, I do think they should be able to protest about getting banned, especially in a tournament basis. Unfortunately, I'm not sure we have the technology to catch the cheaters in all of their methods. So on that, using statistical analysis to catch cheaters is not the best solution we could some up with, but it is the most practical solution we have know. I believe for today you have convinced be that it is the best solution. We should not be asking tournament participants to go through unreasonable searches, like some members suggest.

The fact that no one is playing for money doesn't matter. We should have the same rules whether money is involved or not. However, when money is involved it makes it all the more important to make sure that cheaters don't ruin the game of chess. I do not think statistical analysis should be enough to criminally prosecute someone. However, it may be enough to ban someone. However, there is enough civil evidence in statisical analysis to not let someone come back and continue their cheating.

It'd be interesting if Ivanov came here and had a chat with us.

Ehh...he says things like " I beat Houdini and Rybka 10 games in a row", so his defense would be full of holes. it might have the effect of convincing some of his defenders that he is, indeed, a cheater.

Well, who hasn't?

Oh, right, everyone....

Here is a way Ivanov could be cheating:  he claims his entire chess club is behind him--so find somebody who is his friend that is always in the audience.  Then, observe his hands.  It's easy to construct a simple electronic device to relay any move in algebraic notation using your eight fingers of both hands.  e2-e4 would be your ring finger moving (e, f on the ring finger) and your index and middle fingers moving (1, 2 on the first finger, 3, 4 on the second).  The receiver side would be a small ear implant.  The entire transmission and reception could be done, with some practice, in about 10 seconds.  Ivanov has helpers--find them and you solve the mystery.