8d • Interesting facts
The Problem of Cheating in Online Chess: How Platforms Are Tackling It
Types of Cheating: Online chess, unfortunately, attracts those looking for an easy win. The most common form of cheating is using a chess engine (a computer program) during a game. 💻 In simple terms, the cheater peeks at the moves suggested by the computer, playing almost like a Terminator disguised as a human. Other dishonest methods include receiving hints from another person (e.g., a stronger player nearby or via voice chat) or using prohibited materials during a game (from opening databases to personal "cheat sheets"). Some get creative with absurd tricks: rumors have spread about second screens, buttons in shoes – cheaters' imagination is as boundless as their audacity. 🙃
Anti-Cheat Systems: Technical Methods – How do platforms catch cheaters? Here, a combination of mathematics and artificial intelligence comes to the rescue. 🕵️♀️ Special algorithms analyze every game: they compare a player's moves with the best options according to the strongest chess programs. If the match with computer moves is excessively high (especially in complex positions), the system raises a red flag. Additionally, statistics are considered: whether a player performs significantly above their usual level, makes no mistakes at all, or how they allocate time for moves. For example, if a player finds complex tactical resources in seconds but spends a minute on simple moves – something's fishy. ⚡️ Machine learning methods are also employed: major platforms train neural networks to recognize unnatural playing styles. It's known that Lichess implemented a system called "Irwin," while Chess.com has been refining its detector for years. These digital detectives are constantly learning and getting smarter, catching even clever violators who try to mimic human play (e.g., by intentionally making weak moves to confuse the system). But the algorithms aren't fools either!
Organizational Measures: Robots and algorithms alone aren't enough – people step in too. Chess platforms create entire Fair Play departments, where specialists (often experienced chess players and statisticians) manually review suspicious games. If an algorithm flags something, a live team studies the game in detail: were the moves too perfect, is there a pattern of dishonest play? Consistency matters: usually, no one gets banned over a single game – they look at the broader pattern. Once evidence accumulates, the violator's account is blocked. ⛔️ On Chess.com, for example, hundreds of accounts are closed daily for cheating. Violators face a lifetime ban on the platform, and in official tournaments – results annulment and public scandal. Tournament organizers also take precautions: in major events, players are required to turn on webcams, share their screens, and sometimes install special monitoring software to prevent running an engine in the background.
Famous Exposures: Chess history is full of curious stories about online cheaters being caught. In 2020, a massive scandal erupted in the PRO Chess League: Grandmaster Tigran L. Petrosian helped his team win the final but was caught using computer assistance. 🥴 His team was disqualified, and Tigran himself was banned for life on Chess.com. Ironically, when confronted by World Rapid Chess Champion Wesley So, Petrosian responded with an angry online rant, calling So a "crying baby" and challenging him to a $5,000 duel – only to delete those posts when the truth came out. Another case: young talent Hans Niemann admitted to cheating online a few times as a child. This admission came back to haunt him in 2022 when Magnus Carlsen suspected Niemann of cheating in an over-the-board match. While the story remains complex and debated, the fact is: Hans's reputation suffered precisely because of his online "sins" from his youth.
🐕🦺 – Big Brother will catch them all!
❤️🔥 – Nothing helps; I keep playing against cheaters.
😡 – Leave Niemann alone already!
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The Problem of Cheating in Online Chess: How Platforms Are Tackling It
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