Cheating detection algorithms - hints and ideas

[Dave_N]

I have built a program for analysing games in batches. I ran a test to compare a 100 game Rybka vs Houdini match (2 hours per game) using Houdini at depth 3 and found a 70% match rate for the top 4 moves ... however at Correspondence time controls you could expect humans to perform at this standard. The match rate increases at depth 14 to 80%.

So obviously the probability of a human finding a move that the computer finds at depth 3 is higher than a depth 21 move that rewards extra centi-pawns. This paper begins to address the problem:-

http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~regan/paper ... eHa11c.pdf

Obviously cheaters could avoid detection with an algorithm based on detection software.

[phhnguyen]

I think you mixed 2 approaches. Democracy with human rights and the chess. In real life, you are not guilty of any crime, until court says something else. In chess, even on official FIDE tournaments you can't have mobile phone, go often to toilet, talk to other players, etc. You have only those right which are allowed by tournament rules. If you don't agree to those rules, you can simply go away. Same is with online chess. You can have only those right, that are given you by server. If server decide that you are cheating, you can prove that you are fair player or simple leave server. Those are the rules. Take it or go away. On Fide tournament, no one is checking if you received sms message with cheat move, you are banned because you have mobile turned on. So don't be crazy, the more crime is around, the less right you have. Every policy, every law which restricts crime, restricts also human rights.

So yes, I can ban GM who is doing no mistakes and rejects to prove his identity. In fact such GM is making bad blood, since others will suspect him as cheater too. And it will be better to have server without such players.

I have got your points now. Event you prefer to live and seem be happy in a democracy, you don't want your people - who live under your rules, live in a similar one

BTW, there are still few problems:

1) If you act simply like that, why do you need any algorithm for detecting cheaters? Prove or be ban simply.

2) For GM level, your way may be OK because the number of GMs is not too big. How about Master level? Are they have to prove or are they free for cheating?

I see the number of master is usually big. Some my friends can play in master level but they have never played in any official matches to be able to prove their levels.