In body building though you can cheat at home, months or years before anyone even knows your name. To cheat at a chess tournament you have to do it on site. It's a little harder...
Plus there are levels of cheating. If someone is just copying the engine like a total moron (like B.Ivanov) then they'll be kicked out and banned easily.
So back to major tournaments, of course there is motivation to cheat. People in these tournaments dedicate their lives to chess, and victory means money, fame, endorsements, etc. With that said I imagine people that unscrupulous are a small fraction. Still, you hear about these upset victories where a guy played way above his rating etc.
So would it take a minor effort to pull it off, or would you need a very elaborate plan?
In body building though you can cheat at home, months or years before anyone even knows your name. To cheat at a chess tournament you have to do it on site. It's a little harder...
True, but I was just trying to make the point that it is a common part of human nature that people cheat, even when the risk is high and the reward is low. For those women, they could cheat months before hand and not risk exposure, but they risk their health with dangerous drugs to get a plastic trophy. They also have body dysmorphia and can't be satisfied with their natural bodies but that is a different story. (and those women could just enter non= drug tested events and not cheat).
So back to major tournaments, of course there is motivation to cheat. People in these tournaments dedicate their lives to chess, and victory means money, fame, endorsements, etc. With that said I imagine people that unscrupulous are a small fraction. Still, you hear about these upset victories where a guy played way above his rating etc.
So would it take a minor effort to pull it off, or would you need a very elaborate plan?
Obviously in major tournaments there's motivation. No one questions that.
And in top GM tournaments they have a lot of extra security like metal detectors and of course cameras on are on the players every minute of the game.
Plus there are levels of cheating. If someone is just copying the engine like a total moron (like B.Ivanov) then they'll be kicked out and banned easily.
But you don't need an engine for the entire game. If you are close in skill to your opponent, and just get 3 best moves in 3 different positions when you go to the bathroom, that can be enough to turn a loss into a win.
Its interesting to contemplate in lower level tournaments. but I was thinking more about major tournaments.
Also, people who say there is no point in cheating and no motivation to do so unless there is money on the line, I think are wrong. There are always cheaters.
I was on a bodybuilding/weightlifting forum where people would talk about the use of steroids and PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) before competition. These competitions offer nothing but a trophy.
To make matters worse, there are "drug free" competitions to separate people who obviously use PEDs from people who want to be natural. The discussions I was reading were about people using PEDs to prepare for DRUG FREE competitions!
And to make matters even worse than that, the people discussing this were WOMEN.