Online Chess Etiquette

Hi Everyone,

I just finished watching the wonderful movie Brooklyn Castle, a documentary about a middel school's highly succesful chess program in New York.

If you live in the US, you can watch the movie for free until Nov. 9th on PBS's website: http://www.pbs.org/pov/brooklyncastle/

(I have foregotten exactly where on this site I found the link, but thanks to whoever it was that posted it!) 

I began playing chess in my twenties, and so missed out on scholastic chess, it's exciting tournaments, and the friends who loved the sport at a young age.

I was struck by the sportsmanship displayed by the students.

It has me wondering, should online chess be governed by the same attitude of comradery and mutual respect as displayed by these 13 year-olds?

When I started playing here a few years ago, almost everyone I played ended the game with a quick "gg," which I took to mean "good game." I just assumed this was the appropriate way to end a game and began to finish my games with the same response. This practice seems to have fallen away in recent times, while the usual trash talk remains.

While hoping for broad participation in sportsman-like conduct is a utopian dream, do you think online chess should even strive for such a goal, or is it, by its very nature, not worthy of such considerations?

And if it is worthy of such respect, how can we encourage such behavior? The social modeling of my fellow players, with their "gg" farewells, was sufficient to engender such behavior in myself.

I would love to hear your thoughts,

Collin

gg still happens in lower and higher rated games but not middle rated ones.

I am tired of opponents in quick-play games simply logging off when losing games, instead of resigning.  It means I have a two minute delay before I can play another game or sign off myself.  I always get the warning message about possible sanctions.  Does anything ever actually happen to habitual offenders?

nothings happens to them and it happens alot.  I'd say 1/10 games at least you are left waiting a few minutes.  I chalk it up to the philosophy that i signed up for so many minutes so whatever but I find the practise terribly rude.  If a person tries a highly speculative opening  and it works fine, and if not thats ok too but lose gracefully, learn from it.  Gl

Can we request information about how the site is managed in this regard?  Some simple statistics on what proportion of players warned have had action taken against them would be useful.  If no action is ever taken there is no point in the warning.