Is it "cheating...


The great goddess knows. If you cheat Caissa, beware!

The rule is stated here:
http://support.chess.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=17
It is interesting that although we have something like 20,000+ members -- if I remember right -- there have only been about 2200 views of this statement of the rules for playing.
I'm 1 of 2200! :D

Yes, in the same way that my winning a Gold medal for the 100 yard dash would be "meaningless" if my opponents all decided that they would run with 100 pound backpacks on. Or that my winning an OTB chess tournament would be "meaningless" if all my opponents decided to make all their moves in 5 seconds or less.
If you decide you don't want to take advantage of all the tools available to you, that is your choice.
But perhaps more to the point: if you have a rating X because you choose never to use the available tools to benefit yourself, and I have a rating Y because I always use those tools, those ratings accurately predict our relative playing strength, the same way as if I run without the backpack and you run with it. It does not tell us what you could do if you took advantage of the legal tools available to you, but who cares? It predicts our relative strength based on how we play.