dicepro: I like your idea a lot, but I don't think you fully realize what the doubling cube is about. It is NOT just a matter of rising the stakes. This is not a money site, so there are no stakes, just a match to be won. In backgammon, a match won by 21-0 is NEVER worth more than a match won by 21-20.

The point of the doubling cube is to force oneself to assess the positions in regard to the current score, in order to optimize one's chances to win the match. So if you are playing chess against a much stronger opponent, it is indeed a sensible, and certainly not abusive strategy to double at move 1 in all games (it is probably not an optimal strategy either, but I don't want to get too technical) . By making the match shorter, you will need less miracle wins.

Of course, that example shows a somewhat trivial use of the doubling cube, which means the cube is best used where the level difference is not too big. And of course in games with a random element and/or incomplete information.