Sunday; March 14th, 2004. By: LIFE-Master A.J. Goldsby I
** The use of chess-playing programs is not allowed ** ** unless you have a (C) label. "help computers" explains. **
The standard blurb you see when you log onto "The Internet Chess Club" ... under "Blitzin."
(Nearly EVERY Chess server has a statement of this type that you see when you first log on.)
See the article - about cheating - in the April, 2004 ... of Chess Life.
See this article
on the CB server. It is VERY good,
very honest, and contains history as well.
(He does not tell you which servers they are
cheating on, except for the fact that he DOES mention Yahoo ... where the
cheating has
really has gotten out of hand. But still, it is an extremely
well-written piece about the current state of cheating on the Internet
2/'05)
I just wanted to write an article ...
This page no longer exists ... apparently some found its content objectionable.
My old site (https://www.angelfire.com/games3/AJs01Downloads/index.html) was deleted, and it was these pages that was given as the reason why. Apparently this server will completely protect other's rights to speak out. (It's OK if they bash me, I can show you hundreds of pages where they do exactly that.) Its NOT OK if I list cheaters. Apparently the (little) boys at ICC and PlayChess were behind this, and all of their buddies - who certainly also are cheaters.
I will state categorically that the large MAJORITY of the players - that I personally have encountered - on these two servers cheat like crazy. Period, QED, and end of story.
If the fact that my old site was deleted makes you mad, please send a scathing e-mail to the parties responsible, and let them know of your displeasure. If you would like to see these pages, whole and undeleted, I can send them to you as an attachment to an e-mail. Saturday; May 13th, 2006. (E-mail me ... to get the original article.)
**************************************************************
Click here to see the "Google" cached copy of this page. (Click here to view/download nearly a full copy of my original article.)
Not
only is it possible to CHEAT on ICC, here
is an article
PROVING that their server is full of holes, (unsafe); ... and
completely UNSECURED.
(The exact, same article
... but as HTML, in case you cannot open an Adobe document, or do not have this
program.)
The
USCF and its partner USCL,
{finally} address
the subject of cheating.
(For a long time, the USCL denied anyone was cheating ... or that
any problem existed.)
<<
French
Chess Federation suspends players accused of cheating
21.03.2011 On Saturday the Disciplinary Committee of the French Chess Federation suspended GMs Sebastien Feller, Arnaud Hauchard and IM Cyril Marzolo, finding them guilty of a violation of sporting ethics for allegedly cheating during the Chess Olympiad 2010 in Khanty-Mansiysk. The three received suspensions, after evidence was presented, including a detailed description of how it was
done. >>
Nowadays, in a normal week, I get at least 10-20 e-mails a week. During a big
event, (like a WC or Linares); I would get deluged with e-mails.
The fact that someone was cheating was NOT (new) news to me. (See
this article
that I wrote back in 2004.) I had heard some things before. For example,
one player who had lived in France and had actually seen Feller play contended
that he was cheating. (Approx. 2 years ago.) He primarily had observed - what HE
believed to be - suspicious behavior at the chessboard. This, coupled with the
fact that Feller's games seemed to follow certain chess engines lead him to
believe that Feller was cheating.
Another person wrote me last fall. He had some information (second-hand) that
someone had seen a text message from Feller ... to the effect of: "hurry up
and send me the moves" ... if you can believe that. He also told me that
the whole French team was cheating, and he had proof. To be honest, I wrote this
poor fellow back and told him that I honestly thought that he was the victim of
a hoax/joke. Now it appears that there was a great deal of truth to what he
said! (Read the whole article, for all the juicy details. And if you want more
information, then check out this link.)
Apparently cheating is no longer confined to just the Internet. Apparently some players have taken this to OTB chess. I remember just a few years ago, there was a big scandal when someone got caught cheating at the "World Open" in Philadelphia. Now a French GM - and several cohorts - have been caught red-handed ... cheating at the Olympiad.
Most experts will tell you that it is impossible to make a chess server that is safe from cheaters. Certainly, "ICC" and "PlayChess" have not even attempted to make their servers "cheater-proof." So how does one go about doing this?
Its actually pretty simple. First of all, how did other on-line gaming sites meet - AND DEFEAT - cheaters? Therein lies the answer to our problem.
Build a chess site that has two servers.
The first server will allow anything ... but will NOT even grant a rating. (For computers and centaurs and such.)
The second server is ONLY for humans!!! (Rated.) ONLY the client program will be allowed. NO DGT-board, Windboard, (etc) would be allowed. NO Java-script logging is allowed, ONLY the client server program is allowed. Some higher-rated players will argue that they need the interface they have grown used to. But to allow ANY exceptions is to open the door to cheating! So any exceptions - of ANY kind - could not be allowed.
The client server program MUST incorporate the "keystroke-authentication software." I.e., if the move on the chess board was NOT generated by the [players'] computer's key-board or mouse, the program will NOT allow the moves to be made on the chess board. (It is this type of software that has allowed other gaming site to knock cheaters to their knees.)
Cheaters will be given a "three strikes - and you are out" rule. In other words, the third time that a cheater is caught, his handle is permanently deleted and his IP is permanently blocked. If he paid for his handle, he forfeits it. (A type of fine.)
A program can be written that checks for each of the known (popular) chess engines ... this would rule out a player using a laptop during a game. ("PlayChess" already uses this type of software ... except that there is no real penalty for breaking this rule.)
The client program would automatically forfeit anyone who constantly switches from the client interface to some other program.
Before anyone could be recognized as a titled player, they would have to mail in a copy of their Driver's License ... or some other pertinent documentation.
A player who has say, a 2800+ slow chess rating, but cannot play 2000 lightning chess would have his rating deleted. (Mathematical diffentation/discernation.) Its simple common sense. If some kid figures out how to use a laptop, (to play slow chess) but plays extremely weak blitz chess, it is automatically assumed that this person is a cheater and his rating is deleted.
I will add other points - as I think of them.
In this way, a server could be built that would keep most cheaters from even trying to log on. All their sophisticated cheating apparatus would be worthless.
Really good and talented players would be just as successful on the new server as they would be on ICC or PC. (I would add that they MIGHT be more successful ... because their true talent would be allowed to shine, and all the cretin/troll cheaters would be blocked.)
*************************************************
So if its this easy, why hasn't someone done this? There's a simple answer. Its all about the MONEY! ICC and PlayChess would rather have servers that are crawling with cheaters (and successful) ... instead of building a "cheater-proof" server that might not make it in today's tough economy. (I would counter that the HUNDREDS of people who have written me ... and said that they have STOPPED playing internet chess because of all the cheaters ... would flock to such a server that has such high standards.)
But maybe someone will read this page - realize that this stuff makes sense ... ... ... and run with the ball.
Click here to return to my "Downloads" home page.
Click here to return to my Geo-Cities (chess) home page.
Click here to go to my own domain.
(Or simply use the "back" button on your web browser.)
Copyright (c) A.J. Goldsby I
Copyright (©) A.J. Goldsby, 2013. (All rights reserved.)
Page last updated: 01/04/2013 .
