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View Full Version : Ethical cheating in online chess



J Kazinski
29th January 2004, 18:47
I am a proud ethical cheater. Severs authorities condone it, most people curse at it, I however am proudly cheating for years on several servers and still uncaught. Methods range from simply consulting a chess engine to sophisticated lagcheating and ip masking devices.

When asked if using computers in online chess is "inherently unethical" many consider it so. Users of computers are labeled "cheaters." Many competitors mention that they would personally gain no satisfaction from winning if they used computer assistance. Many also equated using computers to letting the computer totally generate the moves without any involvement from the player. Using computers has been labeled by many as unethical and unsatisfying without any further thought about more subtle and creative uses of using analyzing computers as tools.

When assistance of computers to analyze positions is forbidden by the rules of play some difficulties arise. First of all if done properly computer aided play in online chess cannot be detected. Additionally there are all sorts of minor infractions that can occur with computer use. How about using a computer to study openings, say by using it as a practice opponent or allowing it to suggest lines of play for you to consider, when would you have to stop playing these lines ? If you consider this example trivial allow me to point out that such considerations have led to lengthy and heated debate already.

Here is my personal opinion on this subject. I see nothing "inherently" unethical about using computers. They are just one additional tool we can use to determine the move we wish to make. I wouldn't obtain personal satisfaction from plugging my positions into a computer and just accepting the generated moves but I'll allow that it is possible that some competitors would find this a fun way to play chess. There will always be competitors who want to play without computer assistance. I have no problem with that as long as they respect my perception too.

Chess is a magnificent activity. The art/sport/science of chess is great enough to encompass all competitors, whether they pursue correspondence, OTB, problem solving/composing, chess set collecting, chess-on-stamps collecting, chess forms designing, chess journalism, tournament directing, organizing, or the many other forms of chess activities. It would be grossly unfair for one set of chess enthusiasts to prohibit others from pursuing their preferred forms of the game. I would specifically encourage existing chess competitions be made available for using computers to analyze or generate moves. I see no reason to satisfy those who are opposed to these ideas : I refuse to accept the tyranny of those who would force others to play only by their preferred rules !

To some degree everyone cheats. Not everyone does the hi-tech stuff, but I don’t believe there is a single person who can honestly say he never cheated, the system is so unrealistic you NEED to cheat. Cheating is a striking a defiant blow against a fraudulent system where highrated players have all mouth and no trousers. The system forces to try to outsmart it. The system taught us to cheat in order to survive it.

http://www.compcheaters.netfirms.com/

Mihaela
29th January 2004, 23:12
Cheating is usually for losers. Cheating in a hobby like online chess is for particulary stupid losers.

GoPens
30th January 2004, 10:23
since the above is obviously a troll, i wholeheartedly recommend the deletion of this thread.

cheers

Mihaela
30th January 2004, 23:08
I thought about deleting the topic but freedom of speech is important and he hasn't broken any forum rules.