Anti-Cheating Tools

Move Logs

Every move you make is logged with comprehensive metadata:

• Move notation: The chess notation of your move (e.g., "e4", "Nf3")
• From/To squares: Starting and ending positions of the piece
• Timestamp: Exact time when the move was made
• Time spent: How long you took to make the move (in milliseconds)
• Board state: The position of all pieces before and after the move (FEN notation)
• Client validation time: How long it took to validate the move on your device
• Network latency: Time taken for data to travel between your device and our servers
• Session ID: A unique identifier for your game session
• Client ID: A persistent identifier stored in your browser (for device correlation)
• User agent: Information about your browser and device

System Monitoring

We monitor your browser and system state to detect unusual behavior:

• Window data: Browser window dimensions, resize count, and resize timestamps
• Tab visibility: Whether the game tab is active or hidden, tab switch count, and time spent inactive
• Focus state: Whether the browser window has focus, focus change count, and timestamps
• Device orientation: Screen orientation (for mobile devices) and orientation change count
• Board health: Status of the chess board component (healthy, degraded, or broken)
• Error tracking: Any JavaScript errors that occur during gameplay
• Client moves count: Number of moves made on your client

This data is collected periodically (every 30 seconds) and on specific events (tab switches, window resizes, focus changes, errors).

Player Sessions

We track your game session information:

• Session start/end times: When you started and ended the game
• Total moves: Number of moves made in the session
• Average move time: Average time spent per move
• Network latency history: Array of network latency measurements throughout the game
• Device information: Platform, language, screen dimensions, viewport size
• Validation failures: Count of failed move validation attempts

Behavior Statistics

Aggregated statistics about your playing patterns:

• Total moves: Total number of moves across all games
• Average move time: Average time spent per move
• Suspicious moves: Count of moves flagged as potentially suspicious
• Validation warnings: Number of moves that triggered validation warnings
• Accuracy score: Calculated accuracy based on move quality (0-100)

1. Data Collection (During Gameplay)

During your game, our system collects data in real-time:

• Fire-and-forget operations: All data collection happens asynchronously and does not block your gameplay
• Batching: System monitoring data is batched (up to 10 events or every 5 seconds) to reduce network overhead
• Non-blocking: Even if data collection fails, it will not affect your game - errors are caught silently
• Zero performance impact: All operations are optimized to have no measurable impact on game performance

2. Data Storage

Collected data is stored in our secure database:

• Encrypted storage: All data is encrypted at rest in our database
• Row-level security: Data is protected with row-level security policies
• Access control: Only authorized administrators can access the raw data
• Data retention: Data is retained for analysis purposes and compliance requirements

3. Post-Game Analysis

After a game completes, our analysis system processes the collected data:

• Pattern detection: Algorithms analyze move timing, accuracy, and patterns
• Anomaly detection: Identifies unusual behavior patterns (e.g., consistently fast moves, perfect accuracy)
• Cross-referencing: Compares behavior across multiple games and sessions
• Flag generation: Generates flags for moves or games that require review
• Cheat score calculation: Calculates a confidence score for potential cheating

4. Review and Action

When suspicious patterns are detected:

• Automated flags: System automatically flags suspicious games for review
• Admin review: Trained administrators review flagged games manually
• Evidence compilation: All relevant data is compiled for review
• Fair process: Players are given the opportunity to appeal decisions
• Transparency: Decisions are documented with clear reasoning

1. Engine Assistance

Detects patterns consistent with chess engine usage:

• Consistently optimal moves in complex positions
• Unusually fast calculation of difficult moves
• Perfect accuracy in time pressure situations
• Consistent engine-like move patterns across multiple games

2. Tab Switching / Multi-Tasking

Identifies when players switch tabs or applications:

• Frequent tab switches during critical positions
• Long periods of inactivity followed by strong moves
• Correlation between tab switches and move quality

3. Timing Anomalies

Detects unusual move timing patterns:

• Moves that are consistently too fast for the complexity
• Unusual timing patterns (e.g., always taking exactly 2 seconds)
• Inconsistent timing that suggests external assistance

4. Validation Failures

Tracks failed move attempts:

• Multiple failed validation attempts before a valid move
• Patterns suggesting trial-and-error or copy-paste behavior

5. Network Anomalies

Identifies unusual network patterns:

• Unusual latency patterns that might indicate external tools
• Correlation between network delays and move quality

Data Protection

• Encryption: All data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest
• Access control: Only authorized administrators can access raw analytics data
• Row-level security: Database-level security policies prevent unauthorized access
• Secure storage: Data is stored in secure, compliant databases

Data Usage

• Purpose-limited: Data is only used for anti-cheating analysis and fair play enforcement
• No third-party sharing: We do not share analytics data with third parties
• Anonymization: When possible, data is anonymized for analysis
• Retention policies: Data is retained only as long as necessary for analysis and compliance

Your Rights

• Transparency: This page explains exactly what data we collect
• Access: You can request information about data we have collected about you
• Appeals: You have the right to appeal any decisions made based on this data
• Questions: Contact support if you have questions about data collection or usage

Optimization Techniques

• Fire-and-forget: All database operations are non-blocking and don't wait for completion
• Batching: System monitoring data is batched to reduce network requests
• Throttling: Data collection is throttled to prevent excessive operations
• Error handling: Failures are caught silently and don't affect gameplay
• Lightweight: Event listeners are optimized for minimal overhead
• Async operations: All network and database operations are asynchronous

Mobile Optimization

On mobile devices, we use additional optimizations:

• Reduced batch sizes to minimize network usage
• Longer throttling intervals to preserve battery
• Optimized event listeners to reduce CPU usage