Answers.Body: <p>It’s an interesting idea and it may be worth having an elite tournament in that form. It introduces a fascinating sub-game for the players &amp; spectators in guessing who is who using limited information. It also allows players to perhaps cloak themselves by playing opening variations they are not familiar with.</p>
  <p>However, players have an incentive to exchange information with others as to their own identities. Even the limited information as to whether they played White or Black in each round.</p>
  <p>And are the total scores kept anonymous? Players knowing their own score can still see how near they are to the leaders, and how risk-embracing their play should be.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2024-06-02T02:55:11.543Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2024-06-02T02:55:11.543Z
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Body: <p>Without changing the format, ensuring the correct number of games are played between the correct players, but hide the identity of who's playing who while the game is in progress (from the players, the spectators can still see), or for a day or two so that the last round's player identity is not fully known. OTB play is also possible with so many self-moving electronic chess sets these days. It seems to solve so many problems, like game throwing/manipulation, cheating that targets specific strong opponents, players playing sub-optimally depending on what kind of opponent they think they are facing (too strong or inexperienced), and the endless race of engine preparation against specific players. What's stopping events with top players from doing that?</p>
  
Tags: <tournament><psychology><cheating>
Title: Why not keep opponents anonymous (hide their identity) in elite events?
ThreadText: # Why not keep opponents anonymous (hide their identity) in elite events?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2024-06-01)
  
  Without changing the format, ensuring the correct number of games are played between the correct players, but hide the identity of who's playing who while the game is in progress (from the players, the spectators can still see), or for a day or two so that the last round's player identity is not fully known. OTB play is also possible with so many self-moving electronic chess sets these days. It seems to solve so many problems, like game throwing/manipulation, cheating that targets specific strong opponents, players playing sub-optimally depending on what kind of opponent they think they are facing (too strong or inexperienced), and the endless race of engine preparation against specific players. What's stopping events with top players from doing that?
  
  **Tags:** tournament, psychology, cheating
  
  
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  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2024-06-02. Score: 1
  
  It’s an interesting idea and it may be worth having an elite tournament in that form. It introduces a fascinating sub-game for the players & spectators in guessing who is who using limited information. It also allows players to perhaps cloak themselves by playing opening variations they are not familiar with.
  
  However, players have an incentive to exchange information with others as to their own identities. Even the limited information as to whether they played White or Black in each round.
  
  And are the total scores kept anonymous? Players knowing their own score can still see how near they are to the leaders, and how risk-embracing their play should be.
  
  
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