How about new site administrators who actually care?

If we are paying money for this, we are getting screwed.

There is a contract to provide service that is severely lacking in some areas.

Tournaments have become a joke because too many are allowed to
enter and then mass resign in an effort to manipulate a rating that is
not anywhere close to accurate. Russ has known about this and does
nothing.

Clan chess is being destroyed by a small group who are colluding to
gain massive points by dumping wins onto one undeserving clan.
Russ has known about this and does nothing.

Subscribers are disappearing. I suspect more would disappear if they
weren't grandfathered here and riding for free.

It is one thing to be caught by surprise, but these issues have been
painstakingly placed at Russ' door nearly a year, and yet nothing is
done.

It isn't going to get any better folks!! Not unless someone wakes up and
fixes the problems.

The TER does a good job stopping sandbagging. More often than not it causes players to be put in a higher band than they should be, When I join 1700+ tournaments there is always quite a few 1500-1700s that join.

No one is breaking any rules in the clan system. What you have is a vocal minority trying to force a strange morality on others. Most who play in clans don't give a crap about the "issue". They are there to play chess.

Nothing is being done, because nothing should be done. Simple as that.

Originally posted by KnightStalker47
The TER does a good job stopping sandbagging. More often than not it causes players to be put in a higher band than they should be, When I join 1700+ tournaments there is always quite a few 1500-1700s that join.

No one is breaking any rules in the clan system. What you have is a vocal minority trying to force a strange morality on others. Most who ...[text shortened]... e there to play chess.

Nothing is being done, because nothing should be done. Simple as that.

totally disagree

Originally posted by KnightStalker47
Why do you think tournament with too many entrants is a problem? I like large tournaments. As for sandbagging, the TER does a good job stopping sandbagging. More often than not it causes players to be put in a higher band than they should be, When I join 1700+ tournaments there is always quite a few 1500-1700s that join and get crushed.

No one is ...[text shortened]... e there to play chess.

Nothing is being done, because nothing should be done. Simple as that.

Not sure you are aware of the problems
Go to the clan forum to get a better idea
Try not to read the bits where the insults start flying about
The TER is not working because certain individuals are making sure it does't work
The clan system is not working because some people are making sure it doesn't work
This has been complained about nearly all year and yet nothing is being done or at least nothing seems to be done about it

Originally posted by padger
Not sure you are aware of the problems
Go to the clan forum to get a better idea
Try not to read the bits where the insults start flying about
The TER is not working because certain individuals are making sure it does't work
The clan system is not working because some people are making sure it doesn't work
This has been complained about nearly all year and yet nothing is being done or at least nothing seems to be done about it

I look at the recent tournaments and this is what I see.

Tournament 25299 No sandbaggers here
Tournament 25304 3/8 players below the rating requirement

As for the clan system, it has never worked. It relies on rewarding points to players for playing above their rating. If someone is consistently playing above their rating, then their rating is a lie and all those points they got were undeserved. In a perfect world if every match was fair players would have a 50/50 win/lose ratio. The way points are awarded is fundamentally flawed. For the current system to be viable competitively it must be anything goes. That way clans have a means of being better than others.

Originally posted by KnightStalker47
I look at the recent tournaments and this is what I see.

Tournament 25299 No sandbaggers here
Tournament 25304 3/8 players below the rating requirement

As for the clan system, it has never worked. It relies on rewarding points to players for playing above their rating. If someone is consistently playing above their rating, then their rating is ...[text shortened]... competitively it must be anything goes. That way clans have a means of being better than others.

Agree. The clan system has always been broken.

The mere fact that a group of 1200 players can be crowned champion of anything chess related rankles. (Even with the assumption that they did it entirely with "fair" challenges.)

It can't be fixed with "anything goes" because engine cheats would then always win it.

Originally posted by shortcircuit
If we are paying money for this, we are getting screwed.

There is a contract to provide service that is severely lacking in some areas.

Tournaments have become a joke because too many are allowed to
enter and then mass resign in an effort to manipulate a rating that is
not anywhere close to accurate. Russ has known about this and does
nothin ...[text shortened]...

It isn't going to get any better folks!! Not unless someone wakes up and
fixes the problems.

I hate to say it, but I bet Russ brings in more members by working the Android and iOS apps than he loses by leaving the clan system in its current state.

Yes, I wish existent parts of the site could get some developer attention too. This is the problem of having a lone programmer trying to keep multiple platforms up to snuff.

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem

It can't be fixed with "anything goes" because engine cheats would then always win it.

When I said anything goes engine use didn't cross my mind. Engine users should be banned. It's written in the TOS.

I meant anything goes in terms of forming alliances with other clans and sending imbalanced challenges. It's not ideal, but at least it gives clans an opportunity to outplay each other.

I think the best way to solve all these problems is to stop using ratings to decide match ups. Use the clan leagues to award points. The best clan will be the one who plays the best chess. Isn't that why we are all here, to play good chess.

Originally posted by KnightStalker47
I look at the recent tournaments and this is what I see.

Tournament 25299 No sandbaggers here
Tournament 25304 3/8 players below the rating requirement

As for the clan system, it has never worked. It relies on rewarding points to players for playing above their rating. If someone is consistently playing above their rating, then their rating is ...[text shortened]... competitively it must be anything goes. That way clans have a means of being better than others.

Have a look at some tournaments that include Mctayto
It might make you change your mind

Originally posted by KnightStalker47
The TER does a good job stopping sandbagging. More often than not it causes players to be put in a higher band than they should be, When I join 1700+ tournaments there is always quite a few 1500-1700s that join.

No one is breaking any rules in the clan system. What you have is a vocal minority trying to force a strange morality on others. Most who ...[text shortened]... e there to play chess.

Nothing is being done, because nothing should be done. Simple as that.

two clans did the same thing last year both got suspended so they must have done something "wrong"
i play OTB in a league if for a second the organisers thought there was collusion going on justice would be swift
i do give a CRAP i can't stand cheats in any shape or form, the cheats will always win thanks to people who do not care

Originally posted by padger
Have a look at some tournaments that include Mctayto
It might make you change your mind

OK, mctayto managed to have a 1700 rating at one point and is now rated 1200. There are some odd resignation here and there. I suspect those games were resigned to have a better rating for clan challenges.

Also you have had a 1500 rating at one point, and are now sitting at 1200. If you both play your best chess, there is only a 200 point difference. Giving you a 25% chance to win, I'd say you belong in the same class.

The best antidote to sandbagging is to play good chess. He is still human, you can win.

I looked at some of the games between you and mctayto. It seems you almost always refuse to play him. So I looked at the ones in which you did play and it was anyones game.

Game 10671190 This game you had a draw, but you blundered on move 40 and gave a rook away for nothing.
Game 10696267 You were completely winning, but failed to recapture the bishop on move 25.

The issue here isn't sandbagging, it's a mental block.

Originally posted by KnightStalker47


The issue here isn't sandbagging, it's a mental block.

KnightStalker,

What do you call it when mctayto resigns games after 3 moves to give "Easy Riders" points? Also note what Clan he is now on "Easy Riders, to save you some time looking. That tells a story right there!

-VR

Originally posted by KnightStalker47
OK, mctayto managed to have a 1700 rating at one point and is now rated 1200. There are some odd resignation here and there. I suspect those games were resigned to have a better rating for clan challenges.

Also you have had a 1500 rating at one point, and are now sitting at 1200. If you both play your best chess, there is only a 200 point differe ...[text shortened]... ed to recapture the bishop on move 25.

The issue here isn't sandbagging, it's a mental block.

I did win a couple of games against better players hence my at one time a 1500 rating and I suspect Mctayto may have done something the same
However if you again read the Clan forums you will see that he actually agrees that he deliberately uses tournament games to reduce his rating and see's no reason to change

Originally posted by padger
I did win a couple of games against better players hence my at one time a 1500 rating and I suspect Mctayto may have done something the same
However if you again read the Clan forums you will see that he actually agrees that he deliberately uses tournament games to reduce his rating and see's no reason to change

I'm not trying to argue that mctayto isn't a sandbagger. That should have been evident by the the first sentence in my last post.

"OK, mctayto managed to have a 1700 rating at one point and is now rated 1200. There are some odd resignation here and there. I suspect those games were resigned to have a better rating for clan challenges."

My point is that you and Mctayto play at a similar skill level, both capable of beating each other. You are also eligible for the same rating bands of tournaments. Because you have a similar skill and can beat him, this makes his sandbagging irrelevant to you. Instead you seems to have a mental block against him and resign on move one for the last 2 years. Even in clan games where your teammates are relying on you, you resign against mctayto on move 1.

Why not just beat him in chess. Problem solved.

Originally posted by KnightStalker47
I'm not trying to argue that mctayto isn't a sandbagger. That should have been evident by the the first sentence in my last post.

"OK, mctayto managed to have a 1700 rating at one point and is now rated 1200. There are some odd resignation here and there. I suspect those games were resigned to have a better rating for clan challenges."

M ...[text shortened]... on you, you resign against mctayto on move 1.

Why not just beat him in chess. Problem solved.

I will not pander to someone who cheats