Concerns About Smurfing and Rating Manipulation on Chess.com

Hey everyone! I’ve been noticing a trend on Chess.com where players who seem highly experienced end up with artificially low ratings, either by creating new accounts or intentionally losing games to drop their rating. It’s frustrating to face someone who plays like a 1500+ but shows a rating of 300–500. It can feel unfair and discouraging to newer players (like me).

Someone says, go and get better, but it's hard to accept me being a ~350 which is literally below day one, play a game with a guy that 2,000 live games on pocket, and the worst part, since now I'm fighting them for 30% of my games I will eventually become these guys too, since I'm losing every game against these smurfs and my ELO keep dropping because of them.

Now I have 385 games and this keeping happening.

Is this reportable?

• Generally, if you believe someone is clearly manipulating their rating (for example, sandbagging by intentionally losing games), you can report them. However, just because someone starts a new account and has strong skills doesn’t necessarily mean they’re breaking any rules, it might just be a new account for a returning player.

• If you notice a sudden or suspicious drop from established 1500 down to 300 (or something equally drastic), it’s worth sending a report? 
  
  

Now I'm really don't know what to do, buy a course, get better and then after some study go to 800-1000 and this will not happens anymore, but what about new users? They will quit because there is a 25 years old guy in a 5th Grade Elementary School football team, and the Principal don't take any actions?

I'm sorry that you have to go through these things, if you want help with your games you can msg me, but can you dm me one of the accounts so I can inspect it?

If a player is intentionally lowering their rating to farm wins against lower-rated opponents, you should report them. Chess.com has systems in place to detect and punish sandbagging.

I know it can feel that way. I've been there and have struggled and have thought it's a losing battle - how can I gain elo when it feels like so many are cheating? But looking at your games over the last couple days, I'm not convinced this is happening in a majority of them. I'm not saying it's never happening. With my own games, about 1 in 10 I'm suspicious about. But that still means 9 of the 10 are fair.

Just try to stay positive. If you care about improving and put in the effort, your game will eventually improve. That's the tough part especially as a newer player. And for new users to chess.com - particularly those new to chess, yeah, you brought up some good points. Chess can be brutal when you are starting out, especially if you don't have chess friends or a support structure for improving. I'm just a dumb internet red panda, so I don't know the answer. Maybe if chess.com had some sort of support network of mentors or something. As a 1200ish rated player, I'd sign up to help.

What's the point?