Vacations To Avoid Losing On Time Is Cheating!

Using a preset vacation for when your clock is about to run out is completely unethical and represents a low standard of chess sportsmanship. For those unfamiliar with it, if your time is almost up, the "vacation" option kicks in for those paying members who choose to click this "save me from my own mismanagement of the clock" feature. Firstly, it's deceitful as we know the person is not using it for "vacation" or emergency purposes, but rather they are using it or rather "misusing" it to avoid losing on time. What is the point of having a timed game at all with this feaure in play? Secondly it takes away one of the things that make the game of chess truly great, and that is personal responsibility. In chess you and you alone are responsible for your moves and you are responsible for budgeting your time. This feature tarnishes this great part of the game by allowing players to circumvent personal responsibility and accountability. I understand that this site wants to offer incentives for paying members but unscrupulous ones should never be on the menu.

can't say i disagree. 

gbidari.

If I get hit by a car, and lose access for a week, I'd rather not lose all of my games on time, thank you.

sensfan33, if you get hit by a car, losing some online chess games should be the least of your worries.

Yeah, there are plenty of things that could happen that would prevent a person from getting on the computer that can't be prevented or predicted.

I agree completely with the original post. The clock is supposed to play a factor in the overall strategy and outcome of the game, and with this feature, what's the point of even having a clock? And Sensfan33, I would hope that after getting hit by a car you would have bigger worries than your online chess games.

gbidari, that is a ridiculous response. Why should it be a concern at all? He can click that button now and not have that to worry about later. A good, common sense feature that makes membership more attractive.

It isn't cheating because it isn't against the rules. Simple as that. You might not like it (I can honestly say I wouldn't mind - I'd be very disappointed to win on time in a correspondance game. I play chess not to get a little message saying the game that had just gotten interesting is over because something happened to my opponent's internet connection or whatever.) and that's your own personal taste, but it's just silly to go on the forum and post this nonsense. Calm down and find something better to do with your life, while waiting for your opponent to move.

me too, but it's still stupid.  if you get hit by a car and turn into a vegetable and your brother moves for you that's probably better.

And by the rules of this site, vaction time is a part of that clock in correspondance chess. How is this difficult to understand? And what's with the snide little comments about Sensfan33's hypothetical example. The point is that you should be understanding and compasionate if your opponent can't make a move. I have the option set so that I do not automatically claim a win on time because I think you'd have to be a pretty insecure person to prefer that the site award you with "points" than to play a good game of chess to its finish.

1) What does this have to do with anything?

2) Better than what? Waiting a for it to time out naturally? Why?

I have timed out before because i had to much on my plate at the time so just let all my games time out and came back to it 6 mths later. As for vacations I have had to use it on occasion because i didn't have time enough to play anything for more then a few mins and i wanted to play good games so i vacationed for a week because of work and business. So believe me, that there are indeed times it is needed. So don't be so judgmental of others who do because we don't know there circumstances.  

P.S.  I do know ur frustration i have an opponent who has timed out a few games lost over 100 points and is now on vacation. But it is still just a game in the end and i have plenty more to deal with so why worry urself to much if some have vacationed. In fact i have had a fair few either time out or go vacation on me. No big deal to me really. :-)

It's not cheating, but paying members are playing by a different set of rules. As a non-paying member, I can only go on vacay once I've made all my moves. I am often in a rush when I find myself wanting vacation time so I then rush my moves resulting in sloppy chess. This obviously isn't the case for paying members as the vacation option automatically kicks in and they can ponder their moves while on vacation.

Do you see the worst in everyone, or just your opponents? Deciding to believe that people who use vacations are mostly all just liers and jerks strikes me as a really strange choice.

Good words gbidari

i also agree that in the end, it's just a game and it's just internet chess.  i love chess and i take it pretty seriously but really it's not the end of the world.

I agree.

But eventually I will come back to the site, and see no reason why I should end up having lost several hundred rating points.

And before someone says ratings don't matter - they do.  They track my progress.

No my friend, what's absurd is the argument that because this site offers the option, then it cannot be unethical. Say what?? Making rules that should not be contested because they're posted on the sign is sick. And I don't mean the good "sick".

I have had several planned vacations, and on every one of them, I have let my time run out and have the auto-protection come in.  I make my moves in under 3 miuntes, so would rather have the 23ish hours tick by while I'm gone.  Call it abuse if you want, but you won't convince me it is, since I'm choosing to have less time to move in the games, in exchange for less vacation time used.

I agree with the Original Poster. I think vacation time is lame. If it must be used,  allow the use of vacation time once per game for up to 30-days. Not, 30 times for 1 day at a time.

Sure. They also have easy access to databases, better engine analysis post game just to mention a couple things.

And you decide to play them.

There is nothing to complain about, and to the OP, if you're just venting, I think it's rude to publicly lambast your opponents on vaction as unethical, irresponisble, deceitful etc. Maybe when you're in a situation when you can't make a move, you'll appreciate their position and be a bit more calm and mature.