Fritz

Originally posted by FabianFnas
What kind of remark is this...?
What about the friendly attitude we should have here...?

Dont' get z00ted!

Originally posted by blackjack21
Pardon my ignorance on this subject. I hear from going over some threads that some folks use Fritz to analyze games and so I figured fritz is a type of engine. If so, what would prevent someone from using it to figure out his next move on an ongoing game? None right? Isn't that considered cheating?

Nothing but one's conscious prevents a person from using engines. Some people use them when in a bind and some on a constant basis. The constant ones usually get caught, the others probably not. It's best not to worry about it and just treat your opponent the same and understand that if the person uses an engine against you they must think you're better than them. The resulting points seem to work themselves out in the long run since I believe engine users are very few in number. Also don't get this confused with database users which is legal here.

Originally posted by Phlabibit
I have a lot more respect for a 900 player who plays on and on and doesn't really care that they lose most of their games.
P-

I do too, but that must be really hard. Chess is a lot to do with controlling emotions. Plus there must be the people who feel they don't deserve to be down there and it is only because they keep losing to low rated players that they stay down there and they give themselves a present every once in a while by letting their engine play for them.

The cheated game itself is no fun the points you get are, and you get to play higher rated players... and losing to them is less humiliating than losing to a 900+

NO.. I don't cheat with engines. But I know a bit of psychology, and I know those feelings.. I feel a bit like cheating every time I take a skull but I enjoy doing that all the same!

I don't think cheaters really hurt a normal player that much. Whether I'm playing a legitimate 2200, or an actual 1800-strength player who uses an engine to raise their rating to 2200, either way I'm facing some kind of 2200-strength opponent. They're only fooling themselves, or people who are going to give them respect based solely on their rating.

If someone lower-rated is cheating, they must not be doing it that much or their rating would rise quickly. Any rating loss I suffer in this case would quickly be smoothed out by regular play. (Also I would have to wonder, what could possibly make me seem like such a formidable opponent that they would cheat only against me?)

Of course there are those who are cheating steadily but their rating is still on the way up. For that reason I tend to avoid people who have played 20-30 or more games without a single loss (of course this could be legitimate if another Weyerstrass comes along, but it's unlikely).

I'm not condoning cheating, and it would certainly be nice if no one cheated at all, but I don't see it as much to worry about as a normal player.

As far as who deserves the most respect--I have the most respect for those who improve steadily over time, no matter where they start out. That seems to be pretty rare here--most of the ratings graphs I look at are very flat.

Originally posted by FabianFnas
What kind of remark is this...?
What about the friendly attitude we should have here...?

It is a friendly but true remark. As the topic has been beaten to death, no new viewpoints are going to emerge. It would make a great debate in the debates forum along with the usual debating that goes on in there.

Originally posted by z00t
It is a friendly but true remark. As the topic has been beaten to death, no new viewpoints are going to emerge. It would make a great debate in the debates forum along with the usual debating that goes on in there.

I never go to the debate forum.
The explanation of the forum "Potentially heated discussions on topics such as world affairs, politics and other such areas of interest" doesn't exactly turn me on. 😞

Originally posted by hamltnblue
Nothing but one's conscious prevents a person from using engines. Some people use them when in a bind and some on a constant basis. The constant ones usually get caught, the others probably not. It's best not to worry about it and just treat your opponent the same and understand that if the person uses an engine against you they must think you're better t ...[text shortened]... e very few in number. Also don't get this confused with database users which is legal here.

hamltnblue pretty much sums it all. I couldn't have asked for a much better response. Thanks and to everyone for their feedback.