"I've said it a hundred times and I'll say it again. Honest-playing members (aware or not, fed up with cheaters or not) are not the problem. Keeping them in the dark about a lot of things that don't need to be won't help at all. Keeping them in the dark (helpfile, user agreement, transparency of policy sanction) will just create, push forward, shove ahead an even more bigger problem that an ICS will have to deal with one day. Eventually those ICSes will have to pay an even bigger price, a mortgage for this: the price of shame, discredit, mistrust. (That's the prize of cheating btw and that's the price to pay for having cheated.) Same thing with misleading them, deliberately or not."
August 31st 1999 in rec.games.chess.misc
"In reading your message, I gathered a sense of appreciation expressed towards the volunteers and owners who have devoted their time and money and patience to *an ICS*. I thank you for that. (...) I can also appreciate more, now, your desire to not become to closely affiliated with an ICS. (...) maintaining your independence makes your task of enlightening others (in any area) all the more potent and reliable."
Shareholder and consultant for *an ICS*
Over the last 23 months, I've observed and denounced the cheating situation on many Internet Chess Servers. I've talked with 3 different ICS authorities (admins/sysops) about this complex problem. Over the last 23 months, I've received an incredible amount of tells, messages and emails from members, guests, even from cheaters and ex-cheaters. I firmly believe that this problem got worse and is still getting worse. People are getting accustomed to getting away with cheating. On the other hand, I've known honest playing members who quit Internet chess frustrated or in the silence of disgust. I've met and talked to others who succumbed to intense frustrations and feelings of helplessness and started to cheat themselves. There should be some kind of middle ground between these extremes and/or some better alternatives.
The end doesn't justify the means: the end (no matter if we're talking about server justice, fairness, ethical sportsmanlike conduct, fair compensation/sanction for damage done, etc.) is always contained, included in the chosen means.
If the problem is multi-dimensional, then there is no panacea, no one magical solution for it: only coherent, consequent and multi-dimensional solutions will control this problem. Honest playing members are not the problem here: they are part of the solution, for sure.
As a member of an ICS, I believe you have the right to know some basic information about what your ICS authorities are doing about all this. Trying to keep the cheating problem at a minimal and tolerable level via relevant and coherent preventive and control measures should be the number 1 priority for ICSes. Here are 8 questions you should be able to ask to ICSes authorities:
1) What should I do if I want to report suspicions of cheating? Who to report? What to do exactly?
2) What is the normal average delay of investigating suspicion reports?
3) Will I be informed about the results of such investigation (if my suspicions were sound and serious)? A yes or no answer is what you're expecting here.
4) What is the official standardised policy sanction for caught cheaters?
5) What is the official standardized policy sanction for repeat offenders/re(C)idivists (if there is one)?
6) What happens to adjourned/stored games of recently caught cheaters?
7) What about a caught cheater ratings? will they be adjusted?
8) Will your ICS edit the answers to the above 7 questions in a coherently edited helpfile? If so, when?
I don't believe that such questions and information are vital or strategical for an ICS. I don't believe that such info would cause massive paranoia reactions or negatively afflict an ICS reputation. I could "evidence" the average honest playing members' needs for such basic and normal information with hundreds of tells, messages, emails, saved log discussions and questions asked in help channels that I gathered over the last 23 months. I believe that the answers to these 7 questions should be in an helpfile on all ICSes. If server justice, truth and proactive prevention, control measures and fair compensation/sanction for damage done really mean something on your ICS, then you should get some answers to these questions. Informing and addressing the members' intelligence with true words in an helpfile is definitively more fruitful than a total black-out silence or understood threats.
Before you ask these questions, keep in mind and consider that:
1) You're not part of the justice system on your ICS unless you are yourself an admin/sysop. But you sure can collaborate with it.
2) Only people not emotionally involved in these matters should deal with the suspi(C)ious members and caught cheaters. There is a basic principle in all justice systems that teaches, imposes and prescribes that one cannot deliver justice for himself and by himself. Justice has to be delivered by an impartial third party.
3) Verbal harassments, slandering attacks and public "lynchings" are other forms of forbidden abuse on all ICSes. We all made mistakes in our lives and cheating isn't comparable to a federal crime. Cheaters are humans: their chess play isn't though.
4) Caught cheaters who truly and sincerely want a second chance should get one: I'm not saying here that caught cheaters should get 3, 4 or an infinite number of chances. Nevertheless I wonder how people can really reform when they cheated in hundreds of games over a long period of time (say over 1000 games for over 12 months). Attitudes, repeated habits, developed cheating aptitudes after a long period of time simply merge with psychological ego drives and psycho-sociological benefits: (C)heating just becomes part of their chess play behaviors/habits. Either they will lose interest in playing the fair way and leave Internet chess or the temptation will just become too tough to overcome.
5) Patience is part of the game of chess and so is the waiting for server justice. That is particularly true if your ICS is seriously tackling this problem. 2 years ago, I personally waited 10 months to finally see a cheater get caught on one ICS. I'm not saying that this delay is normal or should be a standard. On the other hand, no one can seriously expect to see serious, fair and impartial server justice be delivered within an hour or within 1 day. There ought to be a reasonable middle ground here.
6) Cheating is not as easily detectable as other forms of abuse, like factual frequent disconnections in lost positions.
Truth, fairness and server justice is what all honest playing members of ICSes want and expect from an ICS. Nothing more, nothing less.
Truth, ethical fairness/fair conditions is what all honest playing members should expect from their next ICS opponent. Nothing more, nothing less.
