Dealing with Cheaters

In my experience of online chess, I have realized that the safest way to enjoy playing chess online is to stick to 3 minute blitz and bullet chess. Sadly, you can never know for certain when you might become a victim to cheating in any other time format because of the extra minutes available for the cheater to use an app/switch programs/receive any other kind of help from an external source.

While chess.com is continually making an effort to ban these cheaters, it isn't good enough because there are still many out there on a daily basis attempting the same cheating over and over again. Even if they get banned eventually, it won't change the fact that you already had to deal with their cheating a lose your fun.

A typical cheater has the following traits:

1) Exactly 4-5 second for every move, no matter how obvious or complicated the position is
2) No errors whatsoever and the analysis post the game would also suggest otherwise
3) Usually disables chat, and doesn't offer a rematch

The good thing is that, most cheaters are also dumb, and by that I mean to say that they end up losing on time when they try to cheat in 3 minute blitz. They use engine assistance but, due to it being only 3 minutes, they lose a lot of time on the clock and don't have the brains to start playing by themselves when they've already reached a comfortable position. They'll still flag and spend 4-5 seconds per move like a robot when they're down only to 10 seconds.

When you suspect that someone is using engine assistance in 3 minute chess, your best bet is to play extremely closed positions and lock the position up as much as possible on the board, waiting for him to flag on time.

I remember the days where maphackers on Warcraft were the first-world problems.

I've played just over 100 games so far. and not once have I came across a cheater. and most of my games are 30 mins

I'm not saying there isn't any. just rare for me I guess. even if I do come across one and if I lose. oh wells.. the next time I play one again might be roughly the same amount of games

Cheaters are in most cases playing either 5 or 10 minutes because they don't have the patience to play 30 minutes when they're looking to win as soon as possible and boost ratings.

Seeing how there is nothing gained from winning or losing on chess.com I could care less if somebody cheats. If I suspect cheating I just block that person.

thread will be locked, and you will be redirected to the cheat group forum- is my prediction

If somebody wants to cheat they will. Time control is irrelevant.

I admit there are days when I want to start one of these threads myself. Tomorrow will be a better day.

This - exactly this. Ultimately, it's an anonymous game on the internet not a test of chivalry. 

I play mainly 10 min chess and wouldn't know a cheater if I fell over them.

Exactly, and the cheaters don't help with that.

This is a good philosophy!

If there is no money involved nor reputation... I doubt there are cheaters on this site - that waste their time getting wins by cheating as a way of fun!

Slow thinkers are dangerous players, their rating can go up and down 300 points, mostly this happens to people who are slow thinkers, but have a higher intelligence then the average player. Some people live with the disillusion that there are cheaters and it become even more real when alot of people are nasty and angry and call people cheaters... not sure what that sickness is called, but if enough people say they see something, then there must be something there, right? No, grow a spine and just have fun. Ignorance is bliss!! - it is better to live with the illusion that there are no cheaters, then live with the disillusion that there are.

Just go to a chessclub and test your rating. If you rating is same in a club and here, you have then nothing to worry about. However might even get much worse, becouse you lack finger technique to move and hit clock as good as a more experience player. Point is your rating probebly wont go up, dont live in the illusion of "that guy must be a cheater", go and find out for yourself if you are taking a hit in rating becouse this site is filled with cheaters.

This thread will likely get closed soon... generally discussion about cheat issues is directed to the cheating forum

How do you know that? Anyway, #17 already answers your question.

nowt to do with me... staff don't like discussion about cheating issues in the general forums, they usually direct people to the cheating forum...

And the other half are future world champions!