Answers.Body: <p>The rules set by chess.com and lichess are basically the same (see <a href="https://support.chess.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1444879-fair-play-on-chess-com-what-you-need-to-know" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this</a> and <a href="https://lichess.org/qa/258/all-about-cheating-questions-and-answers" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this</a>):</p>
  
  <p>Use of computer programs or chess engines is not allowed for any kind of games. Use of (paper/e-book) opening books and games databases <strong>is allowed</strong> for correspondence/DailyChess games only.</p>
  
  <p>So you cannot prevent your opponent from using an opening book. If you are uncomfortable with your opponent using help for the opening, there are a few things you can do:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>ask them not to use opening books</li>
  <li>try to play unrated games where players might be more eager to experiment (i.e. play without opening books)</li>
  <li>don't play correspondence games, but longer standard time controls</li>
  <li>go for sidelines that are not in the book (though that will not be good for improving your chess)</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>However IMO, correspondence chess is a special form of chess and the whole point there is that players get plenty of time in order to analyze the game on a board, in order to consult books, or even to use engines in some of the correspondence chess tournaments. Trying to restrict this seems kind of artificial to me. I mean, if you considered correspondence chess as just a regular game with extended time control (i.e. no external help whatsoever allowed), there is not much you gain from say having an hour per move or having a week for a move.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T13:53:50.987Z
Answers.Text: Getting moves suggested is not analysis.  You click a button and have the best moves possible suggested.  You don't do research,  you don't analyze, you lazily press a button and so it goes on.  What happens if both players just use the book?  An awful game.  I do seem to be in a minority and thank you for your detailed answer.
Answers.UserDisplayName: dagda1
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T14:07:46.490Z
Answers.Text: @dagda1 in high-level correspondance chess, what you get from pressing the button would just be the strating point of your analysis.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Evargalo
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T14:09:42.253Z
Answers.Text: @dagda1: Did you ever use a games database/opening book? To use it properly requires more than just pressing a button.
Answers.UserDisplayName: user1583209
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T16:54:50.303Z
Answers.Text: I'm an experienced beginner, it seems to suggest extremely good moves for both sides.  Very little research in just following what it suggests and very little thought which equals very little learning.
Answers.UserDisplayName: dagda1
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-15T21:34:08.280Z
Answers.Text: @dagda1 All the book does is show the most commonly played moves in a given position, not necessarily the best.
Answers.UserDisplayName: ericw31415
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T13:20:10.957Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-02-12T13:20:10.957Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: user1583209
Body: <p>I’ve not been playing chess that long, but I do not understand why chess.com and lichess have this thing called the book. This allows people to cheat in my ‘book”.</p>
  
  <p>I used it for a while on lichess until it dawned on me I was learning nothing and became reliant on it.</p>
  
  <p>Some people I play against use it and the book is useless whenever it can’t find a match for your position. Are there any tips to disrupt somebody using the book?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T10:39:37.723Z
Comments.Text: I don't think the book option is there for a player vs player game.
Comments.UserDisplayName: SmallChess
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T10:45:22.753Z
Comments.Text: it must certainly is
Comments.UserDisplayName: dagda1
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T11:10:13.127Z
Comments.Text: Lichess only offers its own opening book for correspondence games. But since the international correspondence rules allow you to use physical books and notes anyways, there's not much gained (you still may not use any live engine analysis). Idk about chess.com, but I guess it's the same there.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Annatar
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T11:40:34.387Z
Comments.Text: yes it is in correspondence games.  i don’t think l the comparison to real books is accurate.  it requires much more effort to find a match for your opening than clicking a button.  i cannot think why this is allowed
Comments.UserDisplayName: dagda1
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T12:33:27.453Z
Comments.Text: @dagda1 It does not require more effort at all with a good (real) opening book, which will contain (well-indexed) example games for any variation one could encounter in that opening, plus explanations that an online opening book does not offer.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Annatar
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T12:34:47.370Z
Comments.Text: @dagda1 The real difference is that you need to buy the right book(s) for your opening(s) beforehand, which can be quite expensive. An online opening book on the other hand levels the ground for everyone as everyone may use the same book, so I'd call it *more*, not less, fair.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Annatar
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T12:37:42.297Z
Comments.Text: Btw, only comments instead of a proper answer because the actual question was not if online books are legit, but how to counter the use of them.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Annatar
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T12:41:07.307Z
Comments.Text: i am new to chess and i have no idea how to find such a book or website and i don’t want to.  the effort required is much greater than simply clicking a button
Comments.UserDisplayName: dagda1
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-02-12T14:04:36.293Z
Comments.Text: Why is there a "stockfish" tag ?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Evargalo
Tags: <opening><correspondence-chess>
Title: How to play against somebody using the book
ThreadText: # How to play against somebody using the book
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2018-02-12)
  
  I’ve not been playing chess that long, but I do not understand why chess.com and lichess have this thing called the book. This allows people to cheat in my ‘book”.
  
  I used it for a while on lichess until it dawned on me I was learning nothing and became reliant on it.
  
  Some people I play against use it and the book is useless whenever it can’t find a match for your position. Are there any tips to disrupt somebody using the book?
  
  **Tags:** opening, correspondence-chess
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: I don't think the book option is there for a player vs player game.  
  > **username_0**: it must certainly is  
  > **username_2**: Lichess only offers its own opening book for correspondence games. But since the international correspondence rules allow you to use physical books and notes anyways, there's not much gained (you still may not use any live engine analysis). Idk about chess.com, but I guess it's the same there.  
  > **username_0**: yes it is in correspondence games.  i don’t think l the comparison to real books is accurate.  it requires much more effort to find a match for your opening than clicking a button.  i cannot think why this is allowed  
  > **username_2**: @username_0 It does not require more effort at all with a good (real) opening book, which will contain (well-indexed) example games for any variation one could encounter in that opening, plus explanations that an online opening book does not offer.  
  > **username_2**: @username_0 The real difference is that you need to buy the right book(s) for your opening(s) beforehand, which can be quite expensive. An online opening book on the other hand levels the ground for everyone as everyone may use the same book, so I'd call it *more*, not less, fair.  
  > **username_2**: Btw, only comments instead of a proper answer because the actual question was not if online books are legit, but how to counter the use of them.  
  > **username_0**: i am new to chess and i have no idea how to find such a book or website and i don’t want to.  the effort required is much greater than simply clicking a button  
  > **username_3**: Why is there a "stockfish" tag ?  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2018-02-12. Score: 4
  
  The rules set by chess.com and lichess are basically the same (see [this](https://support.chess.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1444879-fair-play-on-chess-com-what-you-need-to-know) and [this](https://lichess.org/qa/258/all-about-cheating-questions-and-answers)):
  
  Use of computer programs or chess engines is not allowed for any kind of games. Use of (paper/e-book) opening books and games databases **is allowed** for correspondence/DailyChess games only.
  
  So you cannot prevent your opponent from using an opening book. If you are uncomfortable with your opponent using help for the opening, there are a few things you can do:
  
  * ask them not to use opening books
  * try to play unrated games where players might be more eager to experiment (i.e. play without opening books)
  * don't play correspondence games, but longer standard time controls
  * go for sidelines that are not in the book (though that will not be good for improving your chess)
  
  However IMO, correspondence chess is a special form of chess and the whole point there is that players get plenty of time in order to analyze the game on a board, in order to consult books, or even to use engines in some of the correspondence chess tournaments. Trying to restrict this seems kind of artificial to me. I mean, if you considered correspondence chess as just a regular game with extended time control (i.e. no external help whatsoever allowed), there is not much you gain from say having an hour per move or having a week for a move.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Getting moves suggested is not analysis.  You click a button and have the best moves possible suggested.  You don't do research,  you don't analyze, you lazily press a button and so it goes on.  What happens if both players just use the book?  An awful game.  I do seem to be in a minority and thank you for your detailed answer.  
  > **username_3**: @username_0 in high-level correspondance chess, what you get from pressing the button would just be the strating point of your analysis.  
  > **username_4**: @username_0: Did you ever use a games database/opening book? To use it properly requires more than just pressing a button.  
  > **username_0**: I'm an experienced beginner, it seems to suggest extremely good moves for both sides.  Very little research in just following what it suggests and very little thought which equals very little learning.  
  > **username_5**: @username_0 All the book does is show the most commonly played moves in a given position, not necessarily the best.  
  
  ---
  
  