Cheating ... Maybe the 3rd time is the charm

"There is a cheating discussion group for a reason.

http://www.chess.com/groups/view/cheating-forum

Join it if you want to talk about cheating.

Naming and shaming is simply not allowed.  Kohai did the right thing.

['nuff said - Locked - Mod]" - Borgqueen - "Kohai-locked-my-forum--cheating"

(although apparently it was not 'nuff.)

not sure why i think it will sink in this time, but maybe third time's a charm. 

Cheating in chess is an issue that Chess.com takes seriously. That said, it has minimal impact on the site and shouldn't be a concern for 99.9% of players. Unfortunately, there is much more paranoia about the topic than it actually deserves. In an effort to give more transparency to our anti-cheating measures, but to also curb the negative effects of continuously discussing cheating, we are instituting 2 new policies:

#1 - Keep cheating discussions limited to this one thread - We have posted FAQs below that should address most questions on the topic. We also provide tools to report cheating to our staff. But having several constant and redundant threads on the topic that circulate with the same questions and comments over and over again isn't helpful, and instead causes people to worry more than they need to. If you want to discuss cheating, please do it in this thread (or via private messages).

#2 - We are now going to post the names of players caught cheating. We are doing this for two reasons: transparency and social shame. We want you to know that we are constantly working to keep chess clean. And for those who cheat, we want everyone to know that you were a trying to ruin chess for others on the site. See this post for the continuously updated list of cheaters -> .

Below are the main questions and answers we get about cheating.


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What is are the rules about cheating?
You can NEVER use chess programs or engines (Chessmaster, Fritz, etc) to analyze current ongoing games unless specifically permitted (such as a computer tournament, agreed upon unrated game, etc). The only type of computer assistance allowed is games databases for opening lines in Turn-based Correspondence-style Chess and Vote Chess, Chess.com Opening Explorer, chess books, and an analysis board. You cannot use ANY outside assistance on Live Chess games.Fixing games results (through intentional loss or multiple accounts) is also cheating.

How do I report someone I think is cheating?
If you are suspicious about somebody cheating, please use the Report Abuse link found at the bottom of any Chess.com page and include all relevant info (name, reason for suspicion, etc). We investigate all reports and keep them confidential. Do not discuss possible cheaters in the forums - just submit their names to Chess.com for analysis.

How does Chess.com detect cheating?
One part of our analysis involves comparing human moves to computer moves and looking at statistical significance. The other parts are not public knowledge. We will never disclose our exact methods for catching cheaters (to prevent cheaters from adapting their methods), but it involves both cutting-edge technology and human judgment.

How often does Chess.com catch cheaters?
In the past we did not make huge public statements about catching cheaters even though we close many accounts for cheating. Now we are going to start listing cheaters that we catch in this forum. See the next post for a list of known cheaters. We close many accounts each week for cheating, including accounts for paying Premium Members who are cheating. We are constantly going through our top players and submitting them to our cheat detection process. Still, very few people cheat. Most people are good people here to enjoy the game. If you are playing people rated under 2200 it is extremely unlikely that you are playing someone who is cheating - if they were they would be rated much higher. If you are playing someone higher rated then the chances are slightly higher, but there are only a few hundred players on the site in that category and out of those we know that the vast majority are playing legitimate chess without computer help.

What happens to a player who is found to be cheating on Chess.com?
We close the account and add a cheater icon that will appear next to their name. We also post an explanatory notice is posted on their homepage. Finally, we add them to the list in this forum. Any pending games of cheaters will eventually timeout and result in a loss. But we cannot roll back results of games or tournaments, nor do we restore ratings. Ratings are not cumulative, they are a reflection of chess ability, so losing a few points to a cheater does not impact your rating whatsoever in the long-term. Don't worry - just keep on playing!

How long does someone cheat before chess.com finds out?
It depends. But unfortunately it generally takes a little time to build up history to be submitted to the detection process.

What should I do if my opponent accuses me of cheating?
If your opponent accuses you then you can just disable chat and continue your game with a clear conscience (assuming you are not cheating!). Don't worry about accusations, just play your game. If you want you can add them to your blocked player list so they cannot contact you again.

If I reported someone for cheating, why hasn't their account been closed?
We appreciate you reporting the suspected cheating, but ultimately we will decide on if they were cheating or not. If we have not closed their account then the evidence was not conclusive.

You closed the account of someone I know - I'm sure they weren't cheating!
Sorry that you are upset. Unfortunately, people do cheat - sometimes even really nice people. Again, we only close accounts when we are absolutely certain, not because of suspicion.

Can someone appeal if their account is closed?
Sure, we're happy to listen to anyone. But it's generally the same old story: "I didn't cheat! Prove it to me!!" to which we respond: "You did. But we can't tell you exactly how we know, but we know." Generally cheaters who are caught make threats because they are embarrassed and upset they were caught. But we don't mind - we're here to protect players, not cheaters.

Why do people cheat?
It's not our specialty to psychoanalyze people and their reasons for cheating, but people like to win, want to feel important, and occasionally disregard the thoughts and feelings of others. Cheaters aren't necessarily horrible people - maybe just someone with low self-esteem who doesn't think that winning a game unfairly is a big deal (even though it is to the person being cheated).

What does Chess.com think about cheating?
We think cheating is a terrible disease in online chess in general (on all sites). We have a very strict no-cheating policy and we enforce it with maximum effect whenever we are confident we have found cheating. We feel that we are extremely effective in identifying and dealing with most cheaters.

What do we recommend that you do/think about cheating?
Forget about it! We are here to worry about the issue for you so that you can focus on enjoying chess. If you are under 2200 then you should never even think about it - it shouldn't affect you. If you are a top player then you should know that we are constantly checking top players, always getting better at detection, are always responsive to your reports, and are closing accounts daily. In general, life is too short to worry about what a very small number of people are doing. There are bad people in all areas of life and that shouldn't stop you from enjoying life. We are here deal with them so you don't have to.

The main point is,

Get out there and enjoy your chess!  

If you have any questions or comments please contact us!