Best way to reduce computer assisted cheating in Lichess !

As in any other online club, we have lots of sneaky players using computer assistance, mostly in long time controls. They climb quickly to a high rating, having minimal contact with most players (rated 800-2000). However, for stronger players the pleasure of online chess with long time control has been ruined, because it is extremely boring and unhelpful to play against a computer. No wonder why GMs prefer bullet.

We are banning many cheaters, but unfortunately this encourages them to open another free account. Their repetitive act of climbing upwards on the rating scale (and pulling other ratings down) makes the problem even worse, not only compacting the top range of rapid/classical rating scale, but also making it unpleasurable to get there.

So maybe instead of banning them we should just flag them as an "computer assisted account", encouraging an ethical approach. So instead of closing that account we may just add the following restrictions, which apply for all computer assisted accounts :

1) They get a littler computer icon to the right of their names
2) They can play against regular accounts only if it's either (A) a unrated game or (B) a "single-sided rated game" -- the rating of the computer assisted account gets affected but not the rating of the regular account, so they can climb upward on the scale as they wish, without "punishing" everyone else.
3) Can add game seeking ads to the lobby, but can't accept existing seek ads, unless it is from another "computer assisted account".
4) They won't show up in Leaderboard ( but Lichess may eventually create a separate computer assisted leaderboard ranking for them ).
5) They can only participate in tournaments which are flagged to allow such accounts (Lichess must schedule some, periodically).

ICC (chessclub.com) has a similar concept, but for fully automated computer accounts, which is not the same. In ICC, I believe the absence of restriction #2, has created a huge distortion in their rating distribution. For instance, general blitz ratings are comparatively low there, but top ratings are in 3300-3700 range.

Thoughts ?

Thoughts.
Yep.
Total nonsense, an uneducated assumption with no basis in fact, that cheating takes place "mostly in longer time controls". After reading that initial statement, I dismissed the rest of the post and never read it.

Shorter time controls, blitz/bullet games are the most popular games and played by the majority of players. Assisted play takes place at all time controls, even 15 second games. Therefore, statistically those inclined to cheat are more prevalent at the shorter time controls. It could be argued that percentage wise this is also true.

Coming from oppositional defiant mdinnerspace, this is no surprise. 8-)

This would not solve the problem. Those people get THE kick out of other people thinking that they are legit amazing players, they want to be on the leaderboards, they want to have a following and admiration, so they would just create new accounts if they got stuck with a computer icon.

The basic psychological problem these people have is pride. They want to pretend to be something they are not, they want to appear to others as something they are not.

On how pride is born in a person, I recommend reading "Transforming your dragons" by Dr. José Stevens.

The book basically explains all forms of suffering in the human psyche, how they are created and how they can be undone. Pride is one of the "dragons".

So we are dealing with a mental illness basically, the people who cheat in online chess are mentally ill.

It is easy to enlist classifications of "mental illness". Habitual cheating of any form certainly qualifies. Whether it is controllable is a matter for those with the PhD's I suppose.
I tend to think cheating in chess is more of a "choice" rather than a disease or illness. Those so inflicted who cheat at most everything truly suffer from an illness, but those who cheat at chess make the conscious choice to do so, and never consider the option in most other aspects of their life. Sure they may "cheat" on taxes, disregard speeding laws and such but chess is unique in many ways and brings out the worst in some.

I have the real solution to stop online cheating.

The answer is:

Y2K 2.0

We must destroy the internet. Then online cheating will fall.

@EvilChess

Saying that "mostly in longer time controls" cheating occurs... is simply mistaken, an assumption that you are unable to provide any evidence of or sources verifying this claim. The only people to know the stats would be the detection team. It is easily observed flagged players at all the time controls.

No hard feelings. You think this position is defiant? Well then by all means please present your evidence "cheaters" are much more likely to play longer time controls. I'm quite sure you base the "opinion" on the misconception that it is easier, which is false, as you are unawares of the methods used to cheat in bullet chess.

If someone is so inclined and makes the choice to cheat, they will do so irregardless of the time control involved. There is no distinction between those who play correspondence, standard, rabid, blitz or bullet when it comes to those who abuse the game.