Using chess books and databases during Red Hot Pawn games

@mwmiller said
@rah050

At the bottom of the page there is a link to the 'Terms of Service'.
Your question is answered there.

Here is an excerpt:

Terms of Service
(RHP) RedHotPawn.com (and associated brands)
Last updated 2018-05-14

3. YOUR REGISTRATION OBLIGATIONS

(b) While a game is in progress you may not refer to chess engines, chess computers or be assisted by a third ...[text shortened]... sisting of previously played games between human players, and other pre-existing research materials.

Thanks

@caesar49bc said
@rah050

I think 4 to 6 moves into a book line is fine, as far as looking up lines in a book.
It allows a player to explore new openings that way, and not immediatly fall into an opening trap or blunder.
Understanding how to read a board after that is important. After a few moves there are too many permutations in a game to allow oneself to be bookish. Unless your beat ...[text shortened]... that level, opening knowlege is a huge consideration.

*FIDE is an OTB rating, not correspondance.

This.

As for computers, there is no apparent way to tell who's a cheat. When I play someone who is very actively exchanging moves, then goes away for five minutes after I make what I think is a decent move, then suddenly they come back with the perfect move, I get very suspicious that they are just setting up the board on their Gameboy 4 in 1 chess cartridge that has a Sargon program. Then they are getting "hints." Certain players just give off that vibe and they should be ashamed and will have to make up for it in the afterlife. Or perhaps I am not strong at chess. I realize that's a distinct possibility.

This all reminds me of my favorite episode of cheers when Sam plays Robin Colcord and Frasier is hiding in the pool room feeding Sam moves through an ear phone. Classic TV.

@Caesar49BC

I've been playing Chess for over 40 years. In my first 5 years, I went from beginner to OTB Master by tutelage, constant study, review, pickup games & extensive tournament play (with a couple of years with more than 200 USCF games per year). Over the past 12 years or so I have played hundreds of correspondence games (not on this site) with a very good record (On one site, My stats: + 541 = 133 - 127). Many openings require a great deal of knowledge and experience. The Ruy Lopez Marshall variation is heavily analyzed. The Marshall variation starts at move 8. An excellent book, Bologon's Ruy Lopez (for Black) 2015, by Victor Bologan (part III, p 247) explains the Marshall with its many variations as well as alternative variations that avoid it. So, as Black, not only do you need to know the Marshall well, where some variations are 30 or more moves - you also need to know another 17 variations of the Ruy Lopez that go 20 or more moves. Sure, you can wing it for many sub-variations, but only if you already understand the opening's basic principals. (Note, of the hundreds of books I own, BRLfB, is probably the best. If you're a beginner then I recommend Leonard Barden's The Ruy Lopez, Winning Chess 1P-K4, mine is the 1971 reprint.) However, if you don't have an extensive library of games or opening books you are at a distinct disadvantage. This would be akin to someone building a Web server from scratch, where they would need to develop the programming libraries for the OS... not impossible (improbable) but why ignore all that pre-built knowledge... I can go online download a LAMP server, configure it and have it ready to go within a couple of hours (give or take some time based on its purpose). Of course, this is a simplistic view as there are many types of applications and integrating them can exponentially increase the complexity (think cloud applications). Similarly, Chess is not always so easy and it requires a great deal of hard work. Get the books (if no money then search Google or other archives), download pgn games, review and study alternative variations, get familiar with the positions you like to play; figure that out and you will get better. By developing a plan regarding what you play will help your play here or at home or at the club or at an OTB tourney. Hopefully, the time spend is rewarded.

Kind Regards,
GoBoSox

@rah050

Have a chat with 'Brr'

@shooter-mcgavin said
As for computers, there is no apparent way to tell who's a cheat.

Yes there is.
If someone is playing more accurately than
Kasparov you can be sure they are using an engine.