Gaming Monoculture

As always, opinions are mine, not those of Lichess.org.

One could simply argue that Hans and Danny deserve each other, so why should I react?

Mind you, there is a simple response to that, too:

No individual will feel remorse for this collective action problem which plagues our sport. Smaller game communities would never put up with this crap.

... but that too misses the point. There is something at stake here which is far larger than these two celebrities.

On December 1, 1948, James Brunot copyrighted Scrabble. Designed in 1931 by architect Alfred Butts under the name Lexico, the original game was played without a board. Butts applied for a patent but was rejected, and he shelved the idea when he was unable to sell the game to manufacturers.

Nearly a century later, branded dictionaries, sets, and software are expensive; and it is difficult both to find and to watch live championship coverage.

Joseph Babcock imported mahjong sets to the United States in great numbers by 1923. To increase interest in the game, he published new rules that became the American standard. Today, scoring is done using an annually purchased rules card.

Over a century later, branded cards, sets, and software are expensive; and it is difficult both to find and to watch live championship coverage.

The first version of Microsoft Windows was released on November 20, 1985, as a graphical operating system shell for MS-DOS. Windows is the most popular desktop operating system in the world, with a 70% market share as of March 2023.

On July 19, 2024, roughly 8.5 million systems crashed and were unable to properly restart. Worldwide financial damage has been estimated to be at least US$10 billion.

In 1935, chess master Edward Lasker founded the American Go Association, to promote the board game of Go in the United States. The AGA publishes a weekly online newsletter that reaches more than 13,000 subscribers worldwide, The American Go E-Journal, and an annual Yearbook; maintains a national rating system; organizes an annual national event, The US Go Congress; selects North American representatives in international tournaments; and provides support to its members and chapters as they promote Go in their communities.

Go boards and stones are available at cost, and coverage of live events is easy to find even if the game itself is challenging to understand and commentate. Free software energized by research (most recently DeepMind) makes reviewing and playing games simple, and a standard file format for sharing game records is supported by most go programs.

The domain Chess.com was originally set up in 1995 by Aficionado to sell Chess Mentor, a chess tutoring software program. In 2005, Erik Allebest and Jarom Severson bought the domain name, redeveloping the site as a chess portal (launched in 2007).

In September 2022, after losing to Hans Niemann in their third-round matchup, Magnus Carlsen dropped out of the Sinquefield Cup. After the fifth round, Niemann admitted to cheating in online chess in the past, but denied cheating in any over-the-board game. Three weeks later, Carlsen released a statement expressing the belief that Niemann had cheated more often and more recently than he had admitted. FIDE rebuked Carlsen for his actions but at the same time acknowledged his concerns about cheating in chess.

As Rensch says, Chess.com removed Niemann from their platform in the days after Carlsen's withdrawal from the Sinquefield Cup. I can't fault them for exercising caution.

Danny posted distinct allegations:

• Hans misrepresents Danny's comments about which online games Hans cheated.
• There is no conspiracy or collusion to blackball Hans.
• Chess.com are sorry for negative press coverage.
• Chess.com have always handled [Hans' case] discreetly and respectfully.

... and it is to these, and the broader sense of an online chess monoculture, that as a chess developer, TD, teacher, streamer, blogger, and expert wanting a better future for all players, I respond.

First, to whatever extent Hans misrepresented comments, it is fair and just to correct the record, to prevent future misunderstanding.

Second, it is not for me to judge whether an online platform monoculture which promotes viral media either actively or passively harms players. That is a matter for litigants to make proper allegations about, and for courts to judge.

Third, even if such an apology is sincere, I doubt any penance or compensation is considered. Duties to stakeholders come first.

Finally, my comment about whether Chess.com handling Hans' case is any more respectful than that of Dadang Subur would be unnecessary. Certainly Chess.com had a need to vigorously defend itself after it and its streamers actively engaged in matters far beyond their site, but that need doesn't provide a free pass to say whatever you want to say without lasting consequences for yourself and for online and offline chess ecosystems.

You don't need my evaluation about whether Chess.com is a good faith custodian growing the game; the public record speaks for itself, and viral media abound. In general, monoculture antagonises diversity, thereby weakening it.

Perhaps I need to learn go and move on, at least until history repeats itself.