Chess: do you have any suggestions?

Question

I mean for spotting computer cheats?
This is, I'm told, becoming a more widespread problem by the year.
I'm talking about over-the-board players who nip off to the lavatory and come back to play an immediate strong move. Suspicious, or what? This has happened to me twice recently, once in a county match and once in a club match. Should I have challenged them? If so, how?

Answer 1

Its happened at the highest levels of chess.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/29/sports/30chesscnd.html?ex=1317182400&en=8c8b7429ce6443dd&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&_r=0

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3911



In a normal tournament I don't see how they could get that much benefit out of it. There's only certain positions where it would help much and its only one move. No one's going to do it in the opening (5 minutes into the game is going to be pretty obvious). Endgames aren't going to help much (so you play Kd7 instead of Ke7- is that really going to help if you don't understand why? ). So all that leaves is middle-games but engines aren't that strong in positional middle-games so all that leaves is tactical middle-games. So, they could do it then but its only one move. I don't know how many times I've taken a computer's suggestion in analysis and got myself in trouble because I didn't understand all the tactics. One move isn't going to help much unless you work all the lines out. A strong player like Kramnik could figure it out with just a nudge but the average player isn't. I'm a stronger player than most that play at tournaments and I get lost in computer analysis all the time. Even if I could use an engine for one move I probably wouldn't do it because I think playing a good move I understand is better than playing a great move I don't understand.



The other thing is the time factor. A person will probably take at least 5 minutes to decide they're going to cheat, then they walk to the bathroom, go to a stall, get out their iphone, go to a website, put in the position, let the engine analyze, walk back etc. That's going to take at least 15 minutes of their time. They may get one strong move but you get a 15+ minute time advantage out of it which should be worth just as much.



I don't really see it as that much of a problem.



But, if there is someone that you really suspect of doing it repeatedly. The first thing I would do is pay attention to them and see if they do it in every game. You already know the types of positions they would do it in so if they consistently do it and only in those types of positions you have prima facie evidence supporting your claim. You could also have a friend follow them around. Also, you could set the position up on a computer after the game and see if an engine picks the same move. Pay attention to how long they're gone so you can estimate how long they let the engine analyze. If they do it enough you should be able to figure out what engine they're using.



If you feel like you've got a decent case against somebody let the tournament arbiter know and go from there. Maybe insist that he surrender his cell phone for the duration of a game. But, honestly I don't think I've ever had anything like that happen to me. If it ever became a serious problem tournaments could probably put in cell phone jammers.



Lastly you can always play faster time controls. I usually play 30-60 min and that wouldn't really leave enough time for someone to do that.

Answer 2

Cell Phones should be handed over for the duration of a match or at least turned off if you have suspicions your opponent is leaving far too often for the bathroom (always in an unclear or difficult position) complain to the officials in charge of enforcing the rules and he or she will take care of it that's their job.



Edit:



Fide rules say in article 12:3 the conduct of players



Without the permission of the arbiter a player is forbidden to have a mobile phone or other electronic means of communication in the playing venue, unless they are completely switched off. If any such device produces a sound, the player shall lose the game.



To my knowledge the English Chess Federation has a similar rule in their county championships:



E6.1. Mobile phones and other electronic communication devices must be switched off in the playing area. Dispensation from this rule may be sought from the Controller if not agreed by the team captains.



Is handing over the phones enforceable? not sure on that one your officials would have more to say about that but the phones do have to be OFF.

Answer 3

U definitely can challenge such events.In tournaments,you can protest during or after the game by paying a certain fee to arbiter.U will have to check dat move on d engine and if it matches,u can conclude to some extent that ur opponents has cheated.But as far as I know,a player is not allowed to get up from the board and go anywhere when it is his move.So that's another point to be noted.

Answer 4

I doubt if anyone with the strength to play to a win in a chess game would have the audacity to cheat in such a way. Chess is a fluid concept, one move would not help you if you did not see it for yourself. You would only put yourself in a position whose intricacies were not obvious to you. I think you should play the board, not the opponent's presumed motives.

Answer 5

My suggestion is : play only blitz games (3+2, 5 min, 5+2 ...) on the net.

Answer 6

how can they be cheating if they go to the restroom for a minute...



if playing online, yes, lots of people cheat



if playing in person face to face, then i highly doubt it, they would have to predict all your moves, know all the positions, enter it in some computer in the restroom quickly, and get a strong move in the couple of minutes it takes them to piss.



im thinking you just arent that great of a player, or they are just better...