Honestly, I don't know...
I thought, that it is forbidden to get any exernal help: no database, no engine and even no 2nd board to try out something.
Soon I learned here, that db are allowed (simply because rules say so) and engine help is not. Okay.
Now there is a huge discussion about cheating, and I tried to find out what "official" correspondence chess rules do say. As I am more familiar with German, I found out that the official german correspondencechess association says "everyting is allowed" (http://www.bdf-fernschachbund.de/infos/fragen.htm#Schachcomputer) and BdF's FAQ says the same (http://www.bdf-fernschachbund.de/faqfernschach.htm).
And the third credible source I found, http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernschach, says again the same: "everything is okay".
I do understand the TOS and I say, with my very simple mind 😉, that it should not be possible to use engines or databases.
What is the difference between a db and and some engines?
The db shows me 10 games where 3 times white won, nice. And when I analyse my position with serveral (!) engines, they tell me each 3 good variants and what could happen very soon. Here as well I will have to decide what move to make.
Confused 🙄,
th
Originally posted by thireExcellent question. I am not the person to answer it, but I will say that for the forseeable future, as long as computers exist some people will refer to them to cheat at correspondence chess. I have never used a database or a program, I fail to see the fun in that. Somewhere along the way people get so caught up in winning and losing... etc... etc... disney sunsets...
Honestly, I don't know... (etc)
I cannot think of anything more self-defeating than to refer to another source for your moves (except for the openings, which are ok for you to look up). Cheating at correspondence chess is right up there with stealing from your blind grandmother's purse, it's wrong, it's unsportsmanlike, and your granny is going to die from starvation in the cold snow if you do it.
Hopscotch said it best "Whats the fun in that" when referring to using a database, an engine or what have you.
In the debate of what is allowed and what isn't allowed, the better question is "are you playing chess for fun and to improve your game or are you playing to have a high rating no matter what?"
If you are playing for fun only use your brain and skill at the game. It's quite simple.
The difference is:
An engine will calculate the best move from your current position and will then suggest the best move for you.
When using a database, you can look up a similar position, see what move you made before, what happened after you made that move etc. etc. But you still ultimately decide what move to make.
i sometimes use databases, books and statistics in the opening. this is because i want to become a better player with my chosen opening repertoire. for example, i play the king's indian to 1.d4. there are many variations (classical exchange, Petrosian and Gligoric, Samisch, Fianchetto, Averbakh, four pawns attack etc, not to mention the so-called anti-KIs - Trompowsky, Torre etc), and various strategies for dealing with these. when a new twist comes up in a game, i'll do some research on it, thereby improving my knowledge of the opening. i play for fun and don't care too much for ratings, but as i see it, part of the fun is in trying to get better and becoming more expert in my chosen openings. and it makes for a better game i believe.
but i think using a computer to actually suggest a move is off-limits. i never do this and i never use an engine to analyse a game in progress.
Originally posted by topulanI think a lot of the reasons why these issues arise is because of a lack of understanding of a) what a database is and what it can do for u, b)the complexity of chess.
Hopscotch said it best "Whats the fun in that" when referring to using a database, an engine or what have you.
In the debate of what is allowed and what isn't allowed, the better question is "are you playing chess for fun and to improve your game or are you playing to have a high rating no matter what?"
If you are playing for fun only use your brain and skill at the game. It's quite simple.
I play for fun, AND I play on here to improve, hence I use dbs, so my games on here are like an interactive learning tool to help me learn the openings which have been studied and analysed for centuries.
D
Originally posted by CrowleyRead carefully my first post:
The difference is:
An engine will calculate the best move from your current position and will then suggest the best move [b]for you.
When using a database, you can look up a similar position, see what move you made before, what happened after you made that move etc. etc. But you still ultimately decide what move to make.[/b]
What if I used three different engines and they proposed me two different moves? And what if there is just one game in my database that fits to the actual position?
So fair and cheating seems to be a question of "how big is your db"?
And is using six different engines okay, but not using one engine? 😵
th
Yup, I read and I understand your post.
Whether you use one, or all the engines ever designed, it does not matter. An engine is a computer program that calculates the best possible move from a certain board position and can then be used to suggest this move to a human. This means you are not deciding which moves to make - a machine is doing your thinking for you.
A database is just a reference.
You can look at similar positions and see what different moves were made before from that position. But like I said before, you - the human player, still decides what move to make, albeit a more informed decision.
Engine(s) wrong.
Books and databases are accepted.
It never even occured to me that people would cheat playing chess...until it was brought up here.
And I honestly never gave a second thought to cheating...until it was constantly brought up here.
So, now I'm popping out to buy me a brand spanking new Mega-Win 200 and I'm gonna cheat my way into the top 10.
Just to spite ya's all!