PSA= Cheats?

Why do folks cry so much on chess.com about cheating? It's the Internet people... Quit expecting honor and honesty. Nobody complains about how they won and the opponent were cheating some how. I mean your mom ain't an arbiter.... Man up and play good old fashion tough chess. Smile. Maybe even enjoy chess and not an ego boost

Actually, you do see complaints here in the forum every day but there's still a very small number of people making the complaints compared to the population playing. I believe that the great majority of people enjoy their playing experience here on Chess.com.

The reason people complain about opponents using chess engines to assist playing in games where it is expected to be mano o mano is, I believe, based on ratings worship.  People want to believe that the rating reflects accomplishment, and for the rating change in a game to be meaningful, the contest should only be about the brains of the two players.  If there were no ratings, people would not care.

My USCF title was based on a rating higher than 2200 in OTB chess in 1984. It went close to 2400, and would have gone over, had I withdrawn from the last round of the Texas State Championship--I was tied for the lead, and had I won instead of lost that game, I would have won the tournament.  One of my friends was a math professor, and told me prior to the last round that he calculated my rating was over 2400--back then, all the games from a tournament were submitted together.  It was inconceivable to me that I would withdraw just to say i made a 2400 rating. 

Please ignore the ratings--chess is about the adventure of playing, and on this website, playing can also be about joining the great striving to understand the historic game of chess.  Chess.com in my opinion is hands down the best site for learning about openings, historical players and tournaments, and honing your chess skills.  Play, study, play, discuss, and play.  Don't let the "centaurs" ruin your experience.