This is the most important issue facing the chess world. My latest post concerns this issue, and will have more posts forthcoming on the issue.
xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/ … s-cheater/
“I would prefer even to fail with honor than win by cheating.”-Sophocles
Really?!?
Who does this really affect?
The highest levels of Chess play have strict control over the environment negating the opportunity to cheat. For example, the latest iteration of the US Championship saw where the players were made to enter the area with no cell phones or other electronic devices. They also had cameras trained on the complete playing area so the players were scrutinized pretty much at all times. So this really isn’t an important issue for the higher levels.
At our local level, there is no real opportunity or even incentive for anyone to cheat. And if they did, it would be pretty quickly caught. I’m speaking of both our regular Monday night club events as well as our weekend events.
Cheating in the scholastic realm is also a very minimized problem in Central Illinois. We do not allow parents in the playing area during the games at all. So there is no opportunity for the child to speak with a parent during a game.
Yes, there is a potential and incentive to cheat at the big money events, most notably CCA events. However, Bill Goichberg has implemented measures to curtail that as well.
So cheating can be a potential issue. However I think it quite extreme to say it is currently the most important issue facing the chess world.
Is it really so extreme to claim that cheating is currently the most important issue facing the chess world. If class players exit the game in droves because they are convinced a program will win the event rather than the ubiquitous ringer (who at least used his own brain) , I just can’t see the sunny personalities of the great players making up for this shortfall in revenue. I hope for the sake of chess you are correct in your assessment.
We have seen a big drop in adult participation and membership. That means we do have fewer players in events anyway.
Did and does that drop come from the prospect of any opponents cheating? I doubt it.
Do you know of any individuals that are leaving Chess because of this cheating prospect?
Most of the people I know that persistently believed year after year that they finally got their rating to the proper place to win cash at “the big event” (pick any) have for the most part seem to have learned to face reality (aged). Fortunately, I never believed that I could win any big prizes so I played chess with the idea to grovel a draw here and there to gain rating points. This is what happens when the first question players ask is, “What is your rating?”
I was going to ask why is it that we have fewer adults participating in tournaments? Is a problem the economy? Is it the simple convenience of playing online? Or is it a mixture of these things? Maybe it’s something else entirely. What motivates chess players? A lot in my circle claim to love chess but are looking for something for nothing. I don’t wish to extrapolate my situation on the wider chess community because I hold out hope that the grass is greener elsewhere.
Has Cheating Affected Chess?
xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/ … ted-chess/
“He that will cheat at play, will cheat you any way”-Proverb
I’d have to concur that the most important concern in chess right now is getting more adults to play chess and go to chess meetings if one is available in their local area.
Actually, its not so much to get just any adults to play, but more precisely trying to retain scholastic members through college (if they go there), and then continuing to play chess as a regular hobby as an adult.
Yes, it would be great if adults that used to be scholatic players would come back, but in general, it’s easier to retain a player than to woo one back after they haven’t played for some time.
I guess Dr. Bell summed it one pretty good one day. (I was at the local chess meet): I asked him about the collegiate chess players, since the few that showed up were *mediocre C maybe B level at best. He replied that there were several really good players at the university (Murray State University), but they didn’t play at the collegiate level, since they considered chess to be “something they played as a kid”.
*Ya, I’m proud to be a mediocre player… I play good enough to have fun. 
Anyway, I don’t doubt that once could say that about many colleges and universities around the country: scholastic players that don’t become collegiate players since they consider chess something they did as a kid.
/sigh
I started as an adult player (when I was approximately 30), and have continued playing more or less continuously for almost 30 years now. I can’t imagine quitting chess altogether because of cheating, but I will say this – I stay away from big-money tournaments for that reason. Big money attracts cheaters. I know people who won’t play in a tournament unless the prizes are above a certain level. I won’t play unless the prizes are below a certain level. I’m playing for fun, not prizes, and the lower the prizes, the better the chance of just playing chess without having to worry about cheating and other bad behavior, such as people leaving – without bothering to withdraw – as soon as they’re out of prize contention. One of my friends had three forfeit wins in a single event because of this. I would rather play a real game and lose than win by forfeit. Anyway, sorry for rambling a bit. I don’t know how many players are driven away from chess altogether by the prospect of cheating, but it certainly has an effect, and for me, the effect is on which tournaments I play in.
I seldom play in tournaments segregated by rating range – I wouldn’t say “never” but have played maybe two of these in my life. I prefer class prizes to be a “consolation” for above-the-rating performance in an open event, rather than big-money in a class section which, as you mention, seems a fertile environment for cheating. I like the idea of having a shot at somebody really good, and also like the idea of getting a bit of a breather if I have an off day.