On Apr 30, 4:20 pm, Quadibloc wrote:

Where I see a real problem regarding cheating by
by Russians, is that nobody can understand what
they are saying to one another in *American*
tourneys.

Fortunately, the United States of America is a diverse country, and
some of the Americans attending chess events in the U.S. might well be
of Russian ancestry, and understand the language, but have no love for
the Soviet system.


I think you are imagining one of those huge
tourneys out East, like say, the World Open.
In that case, rampant cheating or talking
amongst players is just a part of the way BG
mis-organizes his tourneys.

I was thinking of tourneys I have attended
more-or-less locally, where there might be
just two Russian-speaking players, who, if
conditions allowed, could talk with one
another during play, just as everyone else
does, but in English.

In my scenario, the fact that there are two
Russian players already signals trouble for
the locals, who may well not be as strong at
chess. If you add in the possibility to speak
about the game right in front of eye-witnesses,
this could give certain folks an even bigger
edge, since unlike our "normal" cheaters,
they don't have to conspicuously leave the
playing hall each time.

Unlike the Cold War propagandists here in
rgc, I don't pretend that cheating is just a
"Russian" phenomenon. As far as I know, I
have never been cheated by a Russian-
speaking player, but I certainly have -- many
times -- by English-speaking Americans. A
few examples:

1) Tweaked chess clock

2) Changing the position on the board

3) Consulting other players

4) Distraction and annoyance

5) Changing the rules to suit



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