This is not an impression, it is based on 4 years of studying psychology at university. As well as 2 decades of personal study and interest in human psychology.
If you believe what I am saying is BS, feel free to ask any shrink you know. They will tell you that what said is not only possible, but highly likely.
If someone is cheating in an environment where there is no tangiable gain, then their goal is, often, to make themselves feel elevated above who they are trying to cheat.
This can happen 2 ways; make themselves look better or make the other person look worse.
Perhaps I was a little strong and gave you the impression this was the only reason, it's not. There are many reasons such as antisocialism of anonymity where people put aside social norms because of the lack of social control mechanisms, justification; cheating because they believe most of their opponents are cheating and cheating to boost their personal self-esteem.
Understanding why people cheat, lie and participate in other forms of deception is a very rich psychological subject because the cheater/liar has turned it into such a habit and part of their thinking that it can hide even within people you would never consider to be a cheater.
You don't have to be a cheater to understand the reasons for it. Just like you don't have to be a rapist to know that rape is about power and control rather than sexual desires.
And, while we are on the subject of whether or not I am a cheater. I can tell you this; I was a cheat and liar most of my life for some of the very reasons above. So, education aside, I do have something more than an 'impression' of what someone like this is thinking.
I really don't understand what the point would be in cheating at online chess. It doesn't help the person cheating to get better and it doesn't help the person that is being cheated against. It's not like it's the World Open or something where people would have motivation to cheat.
Thanks for the comments.
I don't see why any average player would enjoy cheating with a computer. Would be tiring a demoralizing not knowing why you were doing something.
You may not be understanding the mindset of a cheater.
Their goal is to make themselves feel better. The 'how' is not important, only the feeling of thinking the other person feels 'less' in some way.
Not really any different than someone who has to always criticize others to make themselves 'feel better'. They are not actually feeling better, they just feel that the target of their criticism feels lesser.
Well... to be fair you don't really understand the mentality of a cheater either unless you've been one. I'm not saying that you have (I realize that the wording sounds like I'm suggesting that). I'm just pointing out that a non-cheater's impression of a cheater's mentality is ultimately just an impression.