Cheating

[Hardin2000]

I've noticed a similar tricks and curious behaviours in some tournament games.

Opponents appear to be online for hours but don't play , then play a move shortly after I log out. Also, some unsporting kicking from the game if time is out when I am winning. Never get booted if I'm likely to lose!

Some of the time limits are too short and take no consideration of major time zone difference.

The chess game analogy is fair _if_ you're in the same time zone!

I think you should not sign to tournaments where the time is short. If you think you can loose by time, just don't sign.

But anyway kicking anyone because is out of time is not a good attitude either. It shows someone that is not here to have fun. But to win, doesn't matter the cost.

[davidr0607]

If you go "I can't win this game properly so I will wait until times runs out and win by default" that is straight up cheating.

It's straight up NOT cheating.

The dictionary defines cheating as "act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage". That is exactly what is happening here.

Imagine that you were playing a game in RL. You are losing but you know another player has to leave in half an hour. So you don't make a move for that half hour then, when they get up to leave (thus ending the game), you claim victory. Do you think that would be allowed and they wouldn't be accused of cheating. Of course they would.

People are taking advantage of a bad system (acting dishonestly or unfairly) in order to win a game that they would otherwise have lost (gain an advantage) so by it's very definition it is cheating.

[Yasten]

Usually, that's called bad sportsmanship or being rude. Cheating is more related to not following the rules.

[davidr0607]

Usually, that's called bad sportsmanship or being rude. Cheating is more related to not following the rules.

Again I refer to the dictionary definition "act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage"

[Hardin2000]

Well but i don't think it's unfairly according to BGA Rules.

The player followed the rules. The time rule is intended to prevent people that take too much time to play.
But what I think is that is a bad attitude, and that's different from cheating.

Another thing is that the other player can report you to BGA because you accused him of cheating.

Also you are saying just because you see the player online, it means that he need pay attencion to your game and ignore all other games that he may have. Please be careful before you accuse someone of cheating.

[davidr0607]

Well but i don't think it's unfairly according to BGA Rules.

The player followed the rules. The time rule is intended to prevent people that take too much time to play.
But what I think is that is a bad aattitude, and that's different from cheating.

Another thing is that the other player can report you to BGA because you accused him of cheating.

Also you are saying just because you see the player online, it means that he need pay attencion to your game and ignor all other games that he may have. Please be careful before you accuse someone of cheating.

"Unfairly" and "By the rules" aren't equivalent. There are lots of thing in life I could do that aren't against the rules but would be considered unfair. And I would saying taking advantage of a loophole (and it is one - BGA have failed to take into account different time zones) is unfair even if it isn't breaking any rules.

As for being reported, that doesn't bother me. If I am doing the right and just thing, then they are free to report me. I believe it's more important to call people out that cheat than worry about it coming back on me.

[Tisaac]

Usually, that's called bad sportsmanship or being rude. Cheating is more related to not following the rules.

Again I refer to the dictionary definition "act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage"

Not sure why you take this definitition. The very first definition i can find on all french dictionnaries always means "break the rules".

[Silene]

...BGA have failed to take into account different time zones...

What could be done about different time zones in your opinion? There's the option to set a playing day-time for a tournament. That's up to the tournament creator and it's the participants duty to check if that fits for them before they enter. When no daytime is set then you should only join tournaments if either there are many days of thinking time or you are available to play more than half of the day every day in a 2-player tournament to have a guaranteed overlap in time. If you can't ensure that then you shouldn't sign up. There is no technical solution for availability of each user during the day and I can't think of anything that could solve that. Sleeping during tournament start is no excuse. The other player will also sleep at some point and lose time then.

Yes it's shitty behaviour to not make your last move when you are available and realizing it's your turn. But you don't know if that is the case or if they were just shown online because they forgot to switch off their computer when they went to bed. Or they had a lot of other games going on and didn't find their way back to yours yet. BGA can only solve this on a technical level and that is judging by the fact that you over-exhausted your thinking time - which would never happen if you'd only sign up to tournaments where you can guarantee enough availability.

[HedgieWedgie]

Agreed that it's very poor sportsmanship.

The chess analogy only works if it's a real-time game. In turn-based, people's time zones and how the turns are ordered make a huge difference.

[davidr0607]

Usually, that's called bad sportsmanship or being rude. Cheating is more related to not following the rules.

Again I refer to the dictionary definition "act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage"

Not sure why you take this definitition. The very first definition i can find on all french dictionnaries always means "break the rules".

The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "to act in a dishonest way in order to gain an advantage" which amount to the same thing.