Dutch chess player banned after using PocketFritz

[ArmoredGuns]

In the article, it says that some playes were caught cheating in the toilet. How is that? Are you kept under surveillance even on bathroonms?

[Terry McCracken]

In the article, it says that some playes were caught cheating in the toilet. How is that? Are you kept under surveillance even on bathroonms?

Just ask Kramnik about that

[Tony]

In the article, it says that some playes were caught cheating in the toilet. How is that? Are you kept under surveillance even on bathroonms?

This guy was caught outside, behind the garbage bins. He didn't even bother to go to the toilet, where the chances of being caught are quite smaller.

Tony

[GS]

The ban makes sense, perhaps it should be more extreme. In practice, it is hard to gain a lot of advantage by cheating in this manner as most of the tough decisions are made during time pressure, and running out of the hall to a hiding place is just not practical!

However, a simple way to stop collusion is the following:
1. Not allowing players to bring (or at least use) these devices in the playing hall (obvious).
2. Not allowing players to LEAVE the hall when it is their move. Using pocket fritz on your opponent's move is an impractical way to gain an advantage (as one will have to hide and anticipate many possible replies!).

A slightly more extreme idea is allowing players to leave the hall only when being accompanied by arbiter or assistant arbiter.

We have both above mentioned rules already here and AFAIK those
rules are also practised internationally?
It wouldn't help though if a cheater hides such a device outside
of the tournament room/hall and I am not sure if this is not practical.

BTW I don't think that you need time pressure and being on the move,
if you wanna go for a 'helping cheat'. Sometimes you can have a great
position already in the middlegame and you intuively know that a sack
would win now even after a certain move from the opponent, but you
need to calculate a _lot_ to dismiss all counter moves.
A cheater mind could then leave the room at the opponents thinking
and check the position for an answer after the 1-X possible answers.
I guess and hope though that this doesn't happen here normally.
So far I have only one time seen such a device at all and that was a few
years ago in the hands of an official arbiter.

Guenther

[S.Taylor]

Maybe some of the increase in standard at tournaments, are because of cheating.
And even if not the top PDA program. it is enough to prevent big blunders, which would also affect overall results considerably.

[rlsuth]

As soon as those Rybka brain implants are available, I'm getting back into OTB chess!

[shiv]

The ban makes sense, perhaps it should be more extreme. In practice, it is hard to gain a lot of advantage by cheating in this manner as most of the tough decisions are made during time pressure, and running out of the hall to a hiding place is just not practical!

However, a simple way to stop collusion is the following:
1. Not allowing players to bring (or at least use) these devices in the playing hall (obvious).
2. Not allowing players to LEAVE the hall when it is their move. Using pocket fritz on your opponent's move is an impractical way to gain an advantage (as one will have to hide and anticipate many possible replies!).

A slightly more extreme idea is allowing players to leave the hall only when being accompanied by arbiter or assistant arbiter.

We have both above mentioned rules already here and AFAIK those
rules are also practised internationally?
It wouldn't help though if a cheater hides such a device outside
of the tournament room/hall and I am not sure if this is not practical.

BTW I don't think that you need time pressure and being on the move,
if you wanna go for a 'helping cheat'. Sometimes you can have a great
position already in the middlegame and you intuively know that a sack
would win now even after a certain move from the opponent, but you
need to calculate a _lot_ to dismiss all counter moves.
A cheater mind could then leave the room at the opponents thinking
and check the position for an answer after the 1-X possible answers.
I guess and hope though that this doesn't happen here normally.
So far I have only one time seen such a device at all and that was a few
years ago in the hands of an official arbiter.

Guenther

Surprisingly, rule #2 is not in effect in the US. People often leave the board when it is their turn to move! Leaving the board/hall on your move should not be allowed. without the presence of an arbiter. Of course, in the US, playing 2 rounds a day is common, so people often leave on their move for a snack/bathroom break.

You are right that cheating can also be on the opponent's move, but it is far more time consuming and might even make the cheater play worse due to the intense checking and hiding time!

[matejst]

I haven't played OTB for seven years till last fall. But seven years ago, there were already stories about the use of laptop computers for analysing. Just rumours, though...

I got back to chess, playing again one of the regional league of Serbia this year (not too successfully), and I noticed the change of time limits and other regulations. Now, it is not allowed to leave the board when it is your turn to play. Mobile phones are forbidden too. Making a phone call in the lobby, or just taking it in your hands leads to contumation.

The measures taken are certainly limiting the possibility of cheating. They are also limiting the quality of play and the comfort of the players. I wouldn't be suprised if somebody is using a PDA or some similar device in the toilets, though I think that it's highly improbable, but to much thinking about such things makes a man paranoid.

Regards.

[dj]

but there is not much money at the lower levels of chess...and surely you can't maintain our interest in the game by cheating. i don't reckon their will be much cheating under 2000 level

J

The majority of people seeking to cheat will want to (illogically I know) boost their ego by winning at any cost; the same sort of people who use computers in Internet games if they can get away with it.

[Terry McCracken]

but there is not much money at the lower levels of chess...and surely you can't maintain our interest in the game by cheating. i don't reckon their will be much cheating under 2000 level

J

The majority of people seeking to cheat will want to (illogically I know) boost their ego by winning at any cost; the same sort of people who use computers in Internet games if they can get away with it.

-Which is a hell of a lot of people these days! I noticed cheating on the internet back in the mid nineties, today it's many times worse.

Also, unfortunately, really strong players are accussed of cheating when all they're guilty of is playing really strong chess

I have faced many cheats, and I have been accussed of cheating by some moderate players as they can't tell the difference between a strong player and a program.

It's a truly sad state of affairs....

Terry