There is a varying amount of favoritism that can interfere with a fair competition. The game is most competitive when all players compete for the best placement for each game. Each game should be decided by the gameboard and chatbox of that individual game. However it is unrealistic to assume people will ignore all pre-existing relationships.

What we need is a clear set of rules to form a consensus of what is fair play. I have put some examples of different categories for anti-competitive behavior to think about:

Category A "Overt Corruption"
Actively seeking secret alliances, use of IM instead of chatbox to cooperate or negotiate, perpetual secret alliances with one player.

>I think the community will generally recognize this as unethical behavior. Some actions have been taken against a few of the worst offenders. I recommend banning all the accounts who continue to do this.

Category B "Game Fixing"
Regularly Helping each other based upon pre-existing relationships. Especially when it isnt indicated in the gameboard or chatbox, if two players consistently cooperate with each other by doing such things as: Not blocking their connect; reluctance to accept a smart fair truce that would hurt your friend; refusing to accept a smart fair countertruce that would hurt your friend; intentionally aiding your friend against the interest of your truce partner, accepting a flag from your friends indefensible land while not accepting flags from others, going out of the way to quickly kill someone who is flagged before your friend loses a battle.

There are a lot of other ways to award unfair placement to your friends. I know that most of these people do not think they are cheating (or wont admit it anyway). In fact I think these anti-competitive relationships are the basic strategy and sense of accomplishment for most top level players.
Often these PGAs begin without intent and may last for a limited number of games or weeks. EVEN IF YOU DONT INITIATE the noncompetititive PGA, if you find that there is someone who will always do you favors and you will return favorable treatment, its PGA.

YOUR GOAL FOR EACH GAME SHOULD BE THE HIGHEST PLACEMENT POSSIBLE FOR THAT GAME. It is not fair to help a friend for a favor you expect in the future. I recommend resetting the points for Category B offenses, and a lengthy RC with PGA partner. Repeat offenses should be banned.

Category C "Lack of Competitive Integrity"
Not cutting a vulnerable friend when it would easily yield you a better position because he is your friend; flagging for lower placement when you have a good chance to beat them in a fight; accepting a flag from a friend when you could use his land to improve your finish for that game. Any instance of "not trying to win" because someone else is your friend.

>I am afraid that Category C offenses are the foundation for success of top level players. You hear the complaints from new players all the time. Unfamiliar people sit at a table and are given low placement based on pre-existing relationships, and not the actions on then gameboard or chatbox. The outcome of each comeptition should be based upon the gameboard and chatbox, not pre-existing relationships.

It has been very difficult to define where you cross the line when using favoritism over gameplay to determine the standings in the games.

IF YOU ARE EQUALLY AS LIKELY TO DESTROY YOUR FRIEND OR GIVE THEM A FAVOR FOR BETTER PLACEMENT, then you are respecting the competitive integrity of each game. If you pass up opportunities to win because you are reluctant to hurt your friend, then you are playing wrong. I think temprary no-sit penalties and short-term RC's are fair sanctions for Catergy C offenders.

I recognize that it might be impossible to implement these sanctions which would encourage fair play, because it is so common amongst top level players.

Most people at the top levels don't try to win, they don't compete, they trade favors to collect points for the monthly competition. I do have hope that things will eventually change! I have already noticed some slight improvement amongst top players, but not much.