Svidler and Baburin drew in R5, then won again - coming 1st and 2nd respectively. I watched the last-round ending between Svid and Alex Lopez, who did very well to hang on in a tricky Q/R/B semi-ending, but finally cracked. Even Svid said it should really have been a draw -- reminded me of several games where Lopez has done the same thing to me.

My 'challengers' section was very different -- field bunched rating-wise, anyone might beat anyone. Both the top seed and last year's winner finished nowhere.

Quite understandable. Although, as it says on this here scientific site (http://www.dejavudu.com/anatomy/oth...), 'you might be surprised at how similar a frog and a rat are!'

<Alchemist> To my amazement, I liked the Guns'nRoses song - and its sentiments. The actual video is crap, though. Snakes? Strippers? Mixing desks? Dissolves?

Eight in 2 weeks seems rather a lot. Is there travelling involved as well, or will they come to you?

Not that travels don't help at times. I got a very useful tip from a teammate en route the day I beat the 2125 guy recently.

Nice goin' number 23.

Pity abut the Rat, is all. Did somebody gas the poor beggar?

Bloody scientists...

A. Fanne
#23, Bunratty Terrace.

PS They have a lot of <ratts> in <Bundesliga> competition, I believe.

I think you may already have said that.

Hmm. Sounds very like HG Wells, but I don't think they have rats on Mars.

Hey, there's a name there for a film or a band or a beat combo or whatever: <Rats From Mars>.

I was sure it might be <The Plague>.

Who's <James Herbert>?

Exactly... Plus the hereditary involuntary myogenic fibre contractions of the vocal chords might be involved in this highly personally matter, as in Joost's case....

Other than that I am reaching...

Great tourny Dom -- you can only improve on this if I understood correctly.

Late Saturday and Sunday must really be a scrap -- I might enjoy that format...

And, as usual, very nice to read your impressions.

Yours,
<Penelope weaving>.

BTW- FUN FACT TRIVIA!!

You know how I call you <Dominate> sometimes...

Well I'm sure you are aware I'm not using that word as a verb.

Bad manners, I should think, to address a friend with a verb.

IE- Hey "Runs With Wolves".

Seems a little jejune...

SO THE TRIVIA!!

<Dominate> of course is a proper noun-- has to be capitlized.

(I would NEVER call you an "improper" noun!)

What does it mean?

NO GOOGLING!!!

(hint- it's actually grammatically incorrect to refer to a person as a <Dominate>)

Free burritos to the correct answer!

The <Dominate> question. I always read it as Latin, pronounced 'Dom-in-a-tay'. Isn't that an imperative? Meaning something like 'go forth and rule'? My Latin is rusty. And my Latino adviser (see above) is in jail.

But 'Dom' is also Russian for 'house' or 'home', so maybe it's a phonetic representation of a pawn's journey to the Queening Square: <Home in 8>.

Morituri te salutis (if that's bad Latin, what else can you expect from a barbarian like me?)

But as I said <Dominate> is not a verb--

Imperatives must be verbs.

Proper noun sir.

It refers to a system of government:

<The Dominate> was the system of government of the Roman Empire during the period after all pretence of <Augustus'> post-Republic "democratic constitution" was dropped--

The Emperor <Imperator>-- was called <Dominus>-- officially recognized as embodying in theory, not just practice, sole power in government.

During the <Principate>, inaugurated by <Augustus> the head of state was called <Princeps>; "first among equals" in THEORY-- but, of course, in practice he had as much actual political power as heads of state during the <Dominate>.

"Emperor" means he who has sole power in a Classical system of governmet, in today's common English parlance.

From <Imperator>, meaning simply "he who must be obeyed".

But in common parlance in the Classical Roman world, an <imperator> was not necessarily actually an Emperor.

In fact, during the Republic, never so.

When a Consul was given power to command a legion or legions, he was given the extra title <Imperator> due to his military command.

But he did not wield sole authority in the government. It was an oligarchic democracy, with the elected Senate (albeit with a very small franchise) forming the Legislature and <Two Consuls> forming the executive branch. The <Plebes> were even represented by elected <Tribunes>, who sometimes wielded considerable demogogic sway-- IE- the <Gracchi>... who were both assassinated for championing the <great unwashed> (land reforms)

Well that's the FULL answer.

Sometimes, you'll have noticed, I correctly call you <Dominus>.

but your system of government here in <Frogspawn> is actually a <dominate>-- even though you CHOOSE to run it as a democracy (never using ignore function, never deleting posts).

Oh, the humanity... the <Pax CG.com>...

They created a desert and called it peace!!

huh??

Because I mistook my hat for a wife...

Same old thing, but still....

Overpowered is the word that comes to mind.

Does an *imperious* summa (cum laude) of Roman Govt count as a dirty Limerick? I should hope so.

Hmm. What's a 'whelm'?

Brilliant timing...

<Dominus>-- I haven't paid proper homage to your posts there-- you pack a HUGE amount of humor into a very small place....

Wel, hm... I have to admit I was either, playing the < first hand-held computer game in the world> when attending Latin class, or looking at the beautiful breasts of <Eveline>, who always sat at the table, just a little in front, left of me... At *just* the right angle...

The sight was Breftaking... In those days.. In these every 14 year old boy has hundreds of pics uploaded to his cellphone, I guess...

I'm drifting...

WE'RE AT SEA!! HOIST'EM UP!!

(<Dirty Limericks> -- that musta been when I was stacked away at the lunatic Asylum, about a year ago?)