There are several purposes to this forum:

♔ I'll be around to answer questions about the that the ChessBookie Game doesn't cover.

♔ You are encouraged to offer suggestions about possible upcoming betting propositions.

♔ If you spot any errors, please inform me here.

♔ Feel free to boast about your victories, and to groan about your losses.

< Topalov vs Nisipeanu Match >

This is the first major betting event. The odds are already sliding heavily in Topalov's favor. (No surprise there.)

Note that we will have betting on the individual games, round by round. (These will appear as soon as we figure out who gets the white pieces in the first game.) Don't blow your whole bankroll on the outcome of the match, save a little money to have fun betting round-by-round.

ATF raids computer chess server in Florida, dozens arrested. Claims to be a legal gambling ring.

<RonB52734> has volunteered to defend the server based upon first amendment rights.

Sen. Kennedy (D-Mass.) have come out and claimed computer chess and betting on the outcome should be illegal. All chess related servers are ordered to cease operations. Congress will debate this issue before session is over.

Supreme court has agreed to hear <RonB52734>'s arguments in 2007. Hon. C. Thomas and Hon. D. Souter both to have claimed they know nothing about gambling.

If you run out of money, you can try to get back into the game with the Loanshark. In fact, you could loan money from him right now, but at his exorbitant interest rates you may want to think carefully before adopting that strategy. If worse comes to worst, your net worth will turn negative, but you'll always be able to loan 100 chessbucks per day to make small wagers with.

This is the first day of the Spring Leg, which means that you won't get any more money for about 90 days. When this leg is over and the Summer Leg begins, all accounts will be cleared out and 1000 chessbucks will be deposited. All loanshark debts are cleared out at that time as well. Please note that the top 10 places in the Spring Leg will automatically qualify for the <ChessBookie World Championship> which takes place in the Winter Leg.

I've already seen some people make large wagers on the Mtel Master's tournament. That's fine by me, but these people will have money tied up in that tournament until it's over, which isn't until May 21st. Perhaps they will end up wishing that they held onto their chessbucks until the event approached, but we can't help them there, as there are no refunds for live tickets.

<Sneaky> I'm not sure what that means. It's possible we're being fed incorrect information from the official sites, but if that's the case, we always have the power to refund tickets.

<WannaBe: What happens if you blow it all (lost all your pretend $$)?!> I took the perils and tested this, too. Well, nothing at all will happen. However, because of your low funds the feature is not as much fun anymore. Loanshark is a lone shark. He has no bullies to send you go sleep with the fish.