British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Details of upcoming UK events, please provide working links if possible.
Alan Tate
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by Alan Tate » Tue Nov 24, 2020 4:59 pm

Asking for permission to go to the toilet sounds a bit humiliating.

Eric Gardiner
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by Eric Gardiner » Tue Nov 24, 2020 6:02 pm

It will be interesting to see the age profile of the of the players - my guess is that those still at school will be more tolerant of the conditions!

David Sedgwick
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by David Sedgwick » Tue Nov 24, 2020 6:40 pm

Wadih Khoury wrote:
Tue Nov 24, 2020 4:36 pm
Yes the measures are Draconian and not everyone will be able to meet them, but I think it's the only way to have fair play.
The Regulations are indeed strict and I can quite understand if some people don't want to play on the basis of them.

However, as I have commented elsewhere, similar provisions seem to have done the trick in the recent ECF County U18 Championship.

I am increasingly convinced that you cannot rely on detecting cheats and punishing them after the event. Smart cheaters will always think that they can outwit the Fair Play teams. If they do get caught, they will protest their innocence vigorously and point out that circumstantial evidence is never totally reliable.

You have to make it as difficult as you can for people to cheat in the first place.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue Nov 24, 2020 7:14 pm

"You have to make it as difficult as you can for people to cheat in the first place."

Yes - I'm sure you're right. If cheating is identified later, it's far easier to turn a blind eye as well, e.g. the Olympics where the home nation won a hatful of medals on the final day, and got many failed drug tests, but the authorities forgot to tell anyone...

Ian Thompson
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by Ian Thompson » Tue Nov 24, 2020 8:20 pm

Wadih Khoury wrote:
Tue Nov 24, 2020 4:36 pm
... not everyone will be able to meet them ...
I think it would be more accurate to say that no-one will be able to meet them.

"All Software with the exception of Zoom, the browser running Chess.com and any Anti-Virus software must be closed and not running and may not be opened during play."

You would not have a functioning computer without many other programs running. It would be impossible to stop everything that wasn't essential even if you could work out which programs they were.

Nick Grey
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by Nick Grey » Tue Nov 24, 2020 8:31 pm

So only for lonely households of one or big houses 1 per room. Loo issues. My partner will watch tv and make phone calls.

Why have ECF and organisers agreed this. What a waste our money. A Big NO from me.

Nick Grey
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by Nick Grey » Tue Nov 24, 2020 8:40 pm

Hope not same situation for adult county SCCU. Is there a dress code.

Matt Bridgeman
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by Matt Bridgeman » Tue Nov 24, 2020 8:53 pm

I may be corrected but I believe none of these events have Zoom required - just chess.com anti-cheat measures and Regan tests;

Major Open and Rating Limited Events (No qualifiers)

Rating Limited U1400 Standard

Rating Limited U1400 Rapid

Rating Limited U1700 Standard

Rating Limited U1700 Rapid

Rating Limited U2000 Standard

Rating Limited U2000 Rapid

Major Open Standard

Major Open Rapid

David Sedgwick
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by David Sedgwick » Tue Nov 24, 2020 9:15 pm

Ian Thompson wrote:
Tue Nov 24, 2020 8:20 pm
I think it would be more accurate to say that no-one will be able to meet them.

"All Software with the exception of Zoom, the browser running Chess.com and any Anti-Virus software must be closed and not running and may not be opened during play."

You would not have a functioning computer without many other programs running. It would be impossible to stop everything that wasn't essential even if you could work out which programs they were.
It says everything must be "closed and not running".

I was arbiting the ECF Junior County U18 Championship on Saturday. I didn't have any problem closing everything except Chess.com, Zoom and Slack (used for arbiter communications).

You are not expected to know how your computer works and to uninstall things that are never open.

David Sedgwick
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by David Sedgwick » Tue Nov 24, 2020 9:16 pm

ECF Directors and Officers have worked extremely hard to make this event possible. They deserve better than the snide and negative comments some posters (by no means all) have chosen to make in this thread.

It is well known that Mike Truran hates this Forum. For once I sympathise with him.

Wadih Khoury
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by Wadih Khoury » Tue Nov 24, 2020 9:36 pm

Nick Grey wrote:
Tue Nov 24, 2020 8:31 pm
So only for lonely households of one or big houses 1 per room. Loo issues. My partner will watch tv and make phone calls.

Why have ECF and organisers agreed this. What a waste our money. A Big NO from me.
But at least you can have an event. Better have an event with 80%, 50% or even 20% playing rather than none. So a very good move by the ECF to keep chess going as well as "serious" events.

If anything I have a completely opposite view, and would have preferred those measures to have been extended to all qualifiers.

Nick Grey
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by Nick Grey » Tue Nov 24, 2020 9:42 pm

So can my partner watch tv and phone her friends - the only person she can distract is me.
I'm seeking permission to use my work computer.
As for toilet as long as arbiter says yes that is ok. I'm frequent.

Ian Thompson
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by Ian Thompson » Tue Nov 24, 2020 10:12 pm

David Sedgwick wrote:
Tue Nov 24, 2020 9:15 pm
It says everything must be "closed and not running".

I was arbiting the ECF Junior County U18 Championship on Saturday. I didn't have any problem closing everything except Chess.com, Zoom and Slack (used for arbiter communications).

You are not expected to know how your computer works and to uninstall things that are never open.
"Closed", so a program doesn't appear as a running application would be possible.

"Not running", so it isn't still running in the background, would not be. Aside from operating system and hardware related programs, a few such programs on my computer are automated backup software, VPN connection software, automated program update software, Java and SQL Server. Some of these (e.g. backup software and software updates) are designed to open a user interface automatically when something happens you need to know about (e.g. backups failing or new software being installed).

NickFaulks
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by NickFaulks » Tue Nov 24, 2020 10:26 pm

David Sedgwick wrote:
Tue Nov 24, 2020 9:16 pm
ECF Directors and Officers have worked extremely hard to make this event possible. They deserve better than the snide and negative comments some posters (by no means all) have chosen to make in this thread.
I can see only one contributor whose comments might be described in this way. Some others have suggested that the regulations, if enforced to the letter, could be unworkable, but that is fair comment and probably applies to any online competition at this developmental stage.

My own view ( and I am not alone ) is that outside elite events it may not be possible to combine robust anti-cheating measures with comfortable playing conditions. Players must therefore choose whether to accept the best available compromise or not play. Is that snide and negative?
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

Nick Grey
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Re: British Online Chess Championships 18th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021

Post by Nick Grey » Tue Nov 24, 2020 11:30 pm

I will contact the organiser as my partner will be recovering from a bleed on her brain. She is likely to be home soon. I am working from home and organise my schedule. I'm not bothered by cheating and do not have an engine. At work on Zoom we smile when we have an interruption.

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