Sun Jan 23, 2011 3:47 am
Cheat Stopping! Answers on common cheat questions
If you are interested in this topic, you are likely either annoyed by cheats or want to cheat :) For the former, we have to say we are doing all we can to stop all cheating on ChessCube (it is a tough job as cheats are becoming more and more creative), and for the latter simply: DON'T CHEAT; you are wasting ChessCube resources that could better be used in improving our platform for all by distracting us with cheat detection and prevention, you are irritating and possibly even stealing cubits from our users, and most importantly, from your perspective, you are just wasting your own time (instead of increasing your skill at chess and exercising your brain, you are wasting hours repeating what an engine does).
What does ChessCube consider cheating?
Basically playing chess and getting assistance from anywhere else.
Specifically:
* Using chess software of any kind - including playing engines or reference databases - to assist you during your games
* Getting assistance from any person, book or other reference material or source during game-play
* Having another user play for you or use your username for any purpose
* Using any software, or exploit any system feature or bug that in any way interferes with normal game-play in order to give yourself a time, positional or other advantage
* Assisting yourself by playing against yourself for whatever reason, including to boost your own rating
* Assisting others by deliberately losing for whatever reason, including to boost their rating.
Additionally, if you use other applications (for example, chess software, messaging programs, browsers, and email clients) excessively during your games you may be warned and then forced to resign the game. We cannot tell if you are getting assistance from these applications (e.g. receiving moves from a chess engine, a friend is sending you moves or you are browsing through an opening database), so we limit how often you can interact with non-ChessCube software.
What happens if I am caught cheating?
We will likely ban you. We don't really want to get in discussions of how much you cheated, how much to adjust your rating or how badly you cheated. The main point is that you have unfairly taken rating points, wins and possibly cubits away from other users, and the only way to make up for the damage you have done is to ban you.
I am sure I played a cheater, what should I do?
Click on the "Report abuse" link and send us the cheater's name and any other evidence you may have. DO NOT start accusing and swearing at the user in open chat or in the game. Users are often wrong and calling a fair player a cheater is highly offensive. Rather let ChessCube handle it.
Does ChessCube monitor and prevent cheating?
We have been monitoring cheating for some years now and banned thousands of cheaters. We are now actively going to be preventing cheating as much as possible. Our first new active deterrent is preventing excessive interaction with other software while playing on ChessCube.
How does ChessCube find cheats?
We will not detail our anti-cheating detection methods, because cheaters will simply use this information to improve their cheating mechanisms, but can provide a brief overview. There are two main ways in which we can find cheaters: how they play chess (the mechanics) and the actual moves they make (the nature of their game).
Examples of these:
One mechanical way in which cheaters play is they run an engine on their computer and, every time their opponent moves, they then input the move into the engine, get the response back and make the move on the board. ChessCube monitors the use of other software in this manner and can only assume you are cheating if you do this often enough.
For the nature of a cheater's game, we compare a cheater's move with engine moves from various engines. If there is a high correlation across games (we understand that people can sometimes play like an engine, but doing so across many games raises suspicions) we assume cheating. Humans simply do not play like engines, so if you do across various games, you are likely using one.
We have many other features of all games logged and analysed. We monitor everything from your rating progress, to who you beat (beating an engine is a good sign that you are an engine!), to all ways in which you interact with our system.
Why am I warned when I am messaging my friend during a game using IM?
We allow a certain amount of interaction with other software during games, but we cannot let you use other software excessively. Simply put: you may be getting moves or other assistance from your friend during the game. We allow you to chat a little bit, but if you chat a lot, you will get warned. If that happens, just wait a while until we let you chat again.
I was just forced to resign. Is ChessCube calling me a cheater? I do NOT cheat!
If you are forced to resign, ChessCube is NOT calling you a cheater. The only thing you are "guilty" of is using other applications (browsers, email, IM, chess software) too much during a game. We are NOT saying you are cheating using those applications, BUT the more you use other applications the more you are ABLE to cheat on ChessCube (whether you do or don't actually cheat!). Making you resign is the quickest way to make sure that if you somehow did get help from a friend or chess software, you cannot benefit by winning. ChessCube does not put any mark on your record for cheating - since you cannot benefit from this, we assume users will just multi-task less during games.
I WANT to use other software all game: I LOVE multitasking while I play! Why am I being forced to resign?!
If you want to have a friendly game and do many other things, then please play UNRATED games. We do not care what software you use during these games and will not force you to resign. We must lock-down rated and tournament games, so please cut down multitasking during those games. We allow you some interaction with other software, so replying to an urgent IM message or email should not be a problem at all.
I am really a master and you have unfairly banned me for cheating! What should I do?
If you think you have been falsely accused or banned for cheating, email us at [email protected]. Provide us with as much information as you can FROM THE BEGINNING; for example, your name, where you are from, FIDE ID, FIDE rating, or national ID and rating. We will really appreciate this transparency and will NEVER tell other users who you are (we take your privacy very seriously).
If we banned you, we have data that seriously implies you have been cheating - we will never just ban on limited or flimsy evidence - so please work with us to resolve the situation quickly, fairly and amicably. Telling us that you are really a grandmaster but refusing to give us your name because you want to play secretly does NOT help. Making us ask you question after question to get a sense of who you are and your ability does NOT help. So rather, just be open and transparent with us so we can unban you if you are not in fact a cheater. We can hardly take you seriously if you cannot provide us with some verifiable proof of your chess skill, so please cooperate with us!
From our experience with strong players versus cheaters, legitimate players are always cooperative and transparent - they tell us their name and rating, and websites they can be found on - they even message us via Facebook, and other chess sites like ICC and playchess - they WANT to clear their name. Cheaters NEVER do this; they stick with their anonymous ChessCube username and free web-based email, they give us strange explanations like they are grandmaster level but never have played in tournaments, and they just tell us to prove to them that they cheated. We have no plans on proving 100% you are a cheat - this is NOT a court of law - so you can go a long way in clearing your name by giving us the data we need to be convinced that you are a strong a player. We can be perfectly reasonable if you work - openly and calmly - with us!
What does ChessCube consider cheating?
Basically playing chess and getting assistance from anywhere else.
Specifically:
* Using chess software of any kind - including playing engines or reference databases - to assist you during your games
* Getting assistance from any person, book or other reference material or source during game-play
* Having another user play for you or use your username for any purpose
* Using any software, or exploit any system feature or bug that in any way interferes with normal game-play in order to give yourself a time, positional or other advantage
* Assisting yourself by playing against yourself for whatever reason, including to boost your own rating
* Assisting others by deliberately losing for whatever reason, including to boost their rating.
Additionally, if you use other applications (for example, chess software, messaging programs, browsers, and email clients) excessively during your games you may be warned and then forced to resign the game. We cannot tell if you are getting assistance from these applications (e.g. receiving moves from a chess engine, a friend is sending you moves or you are browsing through an opening database), so we limit how often you can interact with non-ChessCube software.
What happens if I am caught cheating?
We will likely ban you. We don't really want to get in discussions of how much you cheated, how much to adjust your rating or how badly you cheated. The main point is that you have unfairly taken rating points, wins and possibly cubits away from other users, and the only way to make up for the damage you have done is to ban you.
I am sure I played a cheater, what should I do?
Click on the "Report abuse" link and send us the cheater's name and any other evidence you may have. DO NOT start accusing and swearing at the user in open chat or in the game. Users are often wrong and calling a fair player a cheater is highly offensive. Rather let ChessCube handle it.
Does ChessCube monitor and prevent cheating?
We have been monitoring cheating for some years now and banned thousands of cheaters. We are now actively going to be preventing cheating as much as possible. Our first new active deterrent is preventing excessive interaction with other software while playing on ChessCube.
How does ChessCube find cheats?
We will not detail our anti-cheating detection methods, because cheaters will simply use this information to improve their cheating mechanisms, but can provide a brief overview. There are two main ways in which we can find cheaters: how they play chess (the mechanics) and the actual moves they make (the nature of their game).
Examples of these:
One mechanical way in which cheaters play is they run an engine on their computer and, every time their opponent moves, they then input the move into the engine, get the response back and make the move on the board. ChessCube monitors the use of other software in this manner and can only assume you are cheating if you do this often enough.
For the nature of a cheater's game, we compare a cheater's move with engine moves from various engines. If there is a high correlation across games (we understand that people can sometimes play like an engine, but doing so across many games raises suspicions) we assume cheating. Humans simply do not play like engines, so if you do across various games, you are likely using one.
We have many other features of all games logged and analysed. We monitor everything from your rating progress, to who you beat (beating an engine is a good sign that you are an engine!), to all ways in which you interact with our system.
Why am I warned when I am messaging my friend during a game using IM?
We allow a certain amount of interaction with other software during games, but we cannot let you use other software excessively. Simply put: you may be getting moves or other assistance from your friend during the game. We allow you to chat a little bit, but if you chat a lot, you will get warned. If that happens, just wait a while until we let you chat again.
I was just forced to resign. Is ChessCube calling me a cheater? I do NOT cheat!
If you are forced to resign, ChessCube is NOT calling you a cheater. The only thing you are "guilty" of is using other applications (browsers, email, IM, chess software) too much during a game. We are NOT saying you are cheating using those applications, BUT the more you use other applications the more you are ABLE to cheat on ChessCube (whether you do or don't actually cheat!). Making you resign is the quickest way to make sure that if you somehow did get help from a friend or chess software, you cannot benefit by winning. ChessCube does not put any mark on your record for cheating - since you cannot benefit from this, we assume users will just multi-task less during games.
I WANT to use other software all game: I LOVE multitasking while I play! Why am I being forced to resign?!
If you want to have a friendly game and do many other things, then please play UNRATED games. We do not care what software you use during these games and will not force you to resign. We must lock-down rated and tournament games, so please cut down multitasking during those games. We allow you some interaction with other software, so replying to an urgent IM message or email should not be a problem at all.
I am really a master and you have unfairly banned me for cheating! What should I do?
If you think you have been falsely accused or banned for cheating, email us at [email protected]. Provide us with as much information as you can FROM THE BEGINNING; for example, your name, where you are from, FIDE ID, FIDE rating, or national ID and rating. We will really appreciate this transparency and will NEVER tell other users who you are (we take your privacy very seriously).
If we banned you, we have data that seriously implies you have been cheating - we will never just ban on limited or flimsy evidence - so please work with us to resolve the situation quickly, fairly and amicably. Telling us that you are really a grandmaster but refusing to give us your name because you want to play secretly does NOT help. Making us ask you question after question to get a sense of who you are and your ability does NOT help. So rather, just be open and transparent with us so we can unban you if you are not in fact a cheater. We can hardly take you seriously if you cannot provide us with some verifiable proof of your chess skill, so please cooperate with us!
From our experience with strong players versus cheaters, legitimate players are always cooperative and transparent - they tell us their name and rating, and websites they can be found on - they even message us via Facebook, and other chess sites like ICC and playchess - they WANT to clear their name. Cheaters NEVER do this; they stick with their anonymous ChessCube username and free web-based email, they give us strange explanations like they are grandmaster level but never have played in tournaments, and they just tell us to prove to them that they cheated. We have no plans on proving 100% you are a cheat - this is NOT a court of law - so you can go a long way in clearing your name by giving us the data we need to be convinced that you are a strong a player. We can be perfectly reasonable if you work - openly and calmly - with us!
