Skip to main content
All CollectionsSportsmanship
What is a Sandbagger?
What is a Sandbagger?

Sandbagging is when a player intentionally lowers their rating by losing on purpose. Learn more about it and how to spot sandbaggers here!

Updated this week

Sandbagging

The term 'Sandbagging' is used when a player intentionally lowers their chess rating by losing games on purpose. This is often done with the intent to enter tournaments at a lower rating level, where they can easily dominate and win prizes.

Sandbagging falls under the broader category of rating manipulation, which includes activities such as:

  • Arranging game results intentionally.

  • Playing with multiple accounts.

  • Choosing the wrong skill level on a new account.

  • Losing intentionally to lower one's rating.


How to spot a Sandbagger

If you notice a player performing exceptionally well in a tournament, significantly above their stated rating, it might be worth investigating further.

You can review the player’s recent games to see if there are any suspicious patterns:

  • Sandbaggers often resign multiple games in a row after just a few moves to drop their rating significantly. Some might give away their queen before resigning to disguise it as a blunder or misclick.

  • If a player has a series of losses right before entering a tournament or club match, it could indicate sandbagging.

Example of sandbagging on Chess.com

📝 Sandbagging isn’t just for tournament entry. Some players may lower their rating to play against lower-rated opponents in auto-matches, which is also against the rules.

What to do if you suspect someone of sandbagging

If you suspect someone of being a sandbagger, please report them! The fair play team will look further into it and action against the account if necessary.

📚 Check out this article to learn how to report a member: How do I report someone?

Did this answer your question?