>>512747737I stopped playing rated games for a while. Removing the pressure of ELO made it much easier to resist the urge to cheat.
I play easy bots after losing streaks. Losing multiple games in a row is a big trigger for me, so instead of cheating to “fix” my rating, I play against weak bots just to get an easy win and reset mentally. I know it’s not great for improvement, but it helps me stop feeling like garbage after losing a bunch of games.
I created a second account. This might be controversial, but it helped me a lot. I was terrified of my rating dropping once I stopped cheating, so I started a fresh account where I played 100% legitimately. Once I reached the ELO I had on my original account, I felt confident enough to return to it.
I quit games immediately when I feel the urge to cheat. The moment I notice the temptation, I hit the resign button instantly. It’s much easier to resign in one second than to resist the urge for an entire game.
I remind myself that there’s a real person on the other side. Just like me, they don’t like losing unfairly. Keeping that in mind helped shift my perspective.
I haven’t cheated since Septermber, and honestly, it feels amazing. My rating is real, my wins actually mean something, and I’m enjoying chess way more than before.
If you’re someone who’s struggling with this, I hope my experience gives you some hope. It is possible to stop, you just need to find strategies that work for you
