We received this email today:

"I see a lot of people using a Cheating program for playing checkers on Yahoo. Where are they getting it from? Thanks"

The writer is correct; there are a lot of cheaters that use computer programs to play their games for them; then they actually believe their "wins" and "high ratings" mean something.

It's pretty sad, isn't it? We can only hope that some day, these folks might get a life and realize that there is no shame in losing with grace and sportsmanship, and that relying on your own skills and accepting the results is what makes a true winner.

Comment received from Favian:

What I generally see on Yahoo is that accusations are rampant. Actually I take that back, accusations are rampant online as a whole. I have been accused of using a program many many many times. I dare not count because I would spend more time counting than playing! :P I believe that we are over the hill in terms of program usage.. and that it is on a decline as compared to a few years ago after a few years of popular use. I know we will never be rid of it... an unfortunate fact of life. Anyway, all that to say is... I wanted to post to ask the guy who wrote seeing people using checker programs all the time... How does he know? He does not see anything. There is no way to tell if someone is using a program or not. You are better off to assume that they are just better than you and you'll be right most of the time.