Using a chess engine is NOT cheating!

So  I was reading a post on another thread.  Someone was all upset because they'd been accused of "cheating".  That is, using a computer program to play his opponent.  He was all upset, but that's another matter. 

My point is that I hear a lot of people complaining, here and there, about people "cheating" by using programs.  I've played a lot of chess over the years and surely occassionly I've been trounced by a CPU....to which I proclaim: 

 "So what??"

Seriously, I can't see what the big deal is.  Why do you care if you're playing someone, or playing someone who's baby sitting their computer?  I can't think of a single reason why it would matter.  Can you?

computer programs (aka chess engines) are not reliable.

(1) They cannot detect sac-lines unless they are pretty shallow

(2) They cannot formulate trappy lines (most of my wins are by trapping opponents)

(3) They are all about tactics - NO strategy

(4) Once I did a computer analysis of a game I won (I usually do the ones I lost).

Do you know the findings? When I cleverly got an outside passed pawn by a forced exchange, the computer said nothing - not about my moves nor about my opponent's moves! A long time later it started flagging moves. Duh! The game was already won by then! I stopped taling the help of computer post-mortem after that.

So people who "baby-sit" computers never learn beans about strategy.

This group http://www.chess.com/groups/home/cheating-forum is a good place to discuss cheating, computer use, etc.

See also: cheating-at-chess-on-chesscom---questions-and-answers

It's about etiquette and sportsmanship. Cheating is considered to be disrespectful to your opponent and severely handicaps the person who is not cheating. It's ethics and morals, and it can define ones character. If you cheat, that's telling me that you are a person who is full of greed and is sly and sneaky in order to unfairly achieve your goal at the expense of others; not using your true abilities.

It matters because I wish to play a fair game where the abilities of both opponents can be placed on the board. That way, you may slowly progress and improve. Playing against a chess engine is guaranteed to result in a loss for you. Even the top grandmasters have trouble beating chess engines. This has a V for Vendetta situation in my own opinion.

You proclaim "So what", but ponder this: What would you do if you were the only person NOT using a chess engine?

 Very well said!!!

Well, since you asked: "what would" I do if I was the only one not using an engine?  I'll answer thus:  How do I know that I'm already not that person??  You don't really have anyway to know to begin with.  How does who or what is  sitting on the other side of the internet have any bearing on my enjoyment of the game? As far as ethical considerations...what's difference if I get stomped by a stong computer program or a strong human.  My chances of beating a player, be it human or puter is exactly the same based upon our realitive playing strengths.  So, as a person who's never, ever used a computer to play against someone else I've got to say I've got no problem with it at all.

Thanks for the links...I read Eric's post about cheating and I've got no problem with it. However here as a general topic of discussion I'm simply saying that I don't see any problem, either competitively or personally, with the idea of playing (either with or without my knowledge) against a computer.  I'm not advocating changing chess.com's rules or advocating that people use computers against the websites rules.  I'm simply saying how I personally feel about it and am challenging anyone who cares to debate the point with me why I should care about playing against incorporeal chess players. 

Well, that raises the question of why you play on chess.com, having to wait for opponents, etc, when you can just as easily play an engine on your own computer?

Interesting observation Scarb...Part of the reason I play here is that I like to chat while I'm playing.  Sometimes if I don't feel like waiting around for someone to play with I will play sigma chess on my MBP.  It's pretty good competition for me.  I mainly play blitz with it, and take my blunders back :)  I think another reason I like to play here is that I can really stomp people at times.  Of course I get stomped at times too, so that's only fair.  But, I'm sticking to my guns...if I'm playing, I don't care if it's carbon based or silicon based.