'Why can't I play?'

That's draconian!

Behaviour has consequences.

If you understand what 'draconian' means, you'll realise that it actually is NOT draconian.

Cheating is pretty much the biggest 'crime' one can commit in online chess. Why should we - those who are honest and straight in our dealings - have to deal with people who behave in this way?

Modern life is full of 'second chances'... and all that happens is that unscrupulous people see weakness and opportunities to take advantage.

Hence there are people who have been found guilty of 50+ criminal offences who still walk the streets looking to commit no. 51.

This happens to be a 'fun' site... but if someone cheated in a real life tournament, or tested positive for drugs, they'd be banned.

I simply cannot see what lesson is to be learned by a cheat being able simply to open another account and start again. Waste of time. Why should they be allowed to play on this wonderful site and devalue it with their presence? Why should people like you and me lose our points to a machine? What possible reason is there NOT to kick them out permanently.

IMHO there should be (and there probably is already) an appeals process whereby a cheating suspect has the chance to defend themselves against the accusations; if they are obvious cheats, ban them and let them twiddle their chess engines elsewhere.

ip banning a cheater is dumb. people often share computers, especially in schools, libraries, etc, so you might be banning like 10 people just for 1 persons mistake, probably more tbh

Whoa there Toutatis. I usually don't get involved in talking about controversial topics online, but I've something to say about this.

First I'll say that I am against online chess cheating. That's not what I'm going to talk about.

Your statement, "No. Once a cheat always a cheat. It's the same in relationships." irritates me and I'm going to tell you why.

Ok lets talk about labeling because thats what you just did by saying "Once a cheat always a cheat"

Labeling is basically when you put someone in a general category to describe precisely what type of person they are. The reason why labeling is so bad is because of this thing called "self fulfilling prophecy" which basically means that an expectation is set upon a person which they feel the need to satisfy. From what I know, the effects of labeling usually happen unconsciously.

Now I hope you realize that saying "Once a cheat always a cheat" is a really unsupported opinion.

Now the part where I really have a problem

I don't understand why you had to say "It's the same in relationships". Come on man that was not necessary.

I know some really close family that may have messed up at a young age and cheated a little bit. As someone who has gone through the process of helping them straighten up, I don't want to hear to any degree that there is no hope for relationship cheaters to be clean in any future relationships.

I can talk even more about these second chances that you believe people don't deserve but i'll leave it with just labeling.

@Toutatis you must be quite narrow-minded.

I have to agree with Toutatis on this. The MESSAGE that's sent out about cheating should be unequivocal. No ifs, buts, maybes or second chances. If a person rehabilitates, that's fine! Good for them, good for us. Their reward is they do have a second chance, the punishment is they have screwed up their reputation. Yeah, so this is chess, so no massive harm done. Yet here is where a successful, undetected cheat will nurture the idea that a second chance is granted with no harm to themselves. What behaviour does that reinforce? Become a better cheater? If caught once, try, try again?
We've all met cheats in the 'real' world I'm sure. While you sympathise with the person who never heeded the lesson about cheating and committed the crime, what about the innocent victim, who is often left completely mentally destroyed and unable to trust again? Do they get a second chance?