My suggestion on how to deal with cheaters

Here is my suggestion on how to deal with engine users:

1. No bannings (optional if nothing else is in place)
2. Check all players higher than a certain rating, say 2000, by Zygalsky's method, maybe also by the "blunder check" method (>20 games vs. higher rated players etc.)
3. Add outcome of 2. to the players profile (or provide a list with a well known link).
4. Repeat 2. regularly (e.g. next 20 games vs. higher rated players).
5. Give volunteers of 2. (new game mods) a benefit, e.g. 1 year subscription.
6. Volunteers have to be checked by the method(s) by at least two other volunteers/other players.
7. Inform all players (especially Clan leaders) about this feature; maybe even before every new tournament, league game, or whatever.

Outcome: In many case, players and Clan leaders have the information whether someone is "too good to be true". No accusations and no discussion needed. Everyone decides on his/her own.

Originally posted by gambit05
Here is my suggestion on how to deal with engine users:

1. No bannings (optional if nothing else is in place)
2. Check [b]all players higher than a certain rating, say 2000, by Zygalsky's method, maybe also by the "blunder check" method (>20 games vs. higher rated players etc.)
3. Add outcome of 2. to the players profile (or provide a list with a w ...[text shortened]... good to be true". No accusations and no discussion needed. Everyone decides on his/her own.[/b]

If recruiting and retaining moderators is an issue for this website, then I like point #5.

Originally posted by andrew93
If recruiting and retaining moderators is an issue for this website, then I like point #5.

Good point and I hear (from other threads) this is an ongoing issue.

So if reports are being filed but not acted upon, then it sounds like that is the issue that needs to be resolved. There may be many reasons why this is the case.

Are there enough site administrators? Is it a question of workload?

Does the SA first have to take into account the motivation of the moderator? (should a requirement for being a moderator is that you do not actually play chess here?)

Is it an issue of lost income for the website when banning subscribers? This raises some much bigger questions around business models etc. which can only be answered by the site owners and (respectfully) has no place in the forums.

Is it the quality / reliability of the reports being issued?

Is there an unstated assumption of innocence? i.e. are players automatically assumed to be innocent unless proven "beyond reasonable doubt"? Is there a difference in the understanding of "reasonable doubt" between the administrators and moderators?

So unless the issue of why reports are not being acted upon is not resolved, cheaters not being suspended will continue to be an issue.

Andrew

Zygalski's ... squelsbelch's ... or whatever its name was, method is as much bullcrap as any other system. Blegh!

Originally posted by Kegge
Zygalski's ... squelsbelch's ... or whatever its name was, method is as much bullcrap as any other system. Blegh!

Originally posted by tomtom232
How is it bullcrap? The best chess players in the world fail to reach a certain threshold that chess players on here routinely demolish and you call it bullcrap?

Originally posted by Kegge
YEs I do, because it is one person's "statistics" without ANY scientific backup. Bullpoo! Its word against any other's. Do you believe any idiot on this site throwing percentages around as proof? If you so you are just as big an ignorant idiot as Z. is.

Originally posted by tomtom232
No, but I know this to be "the" system used to catch cheaters even in international tournaments.

Originally posted by jimslyp69
How does one cheat OTB? 😕

Originally posted by andrew93
Is there an unstated assumption of innocence? i.e. are players automatically assumed to be innocent unless proven "beyond reasonable doubt"?