Sorry to be technical but we would have to disqualify your vote, since the Tal picture has only been <FSR>'s avatar since like Dec. 30th at the earliest. These awards are for <2011>.

If you still want to vote for <FSR> for best avatar, 2011, please note that this was his avatar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:P...

Best Username/Handle: <Phony Benoni>

Best written post: <jimfromprovidence>

Funniest Kbitzer: <Once>

Most constructive: <Patriot>

Best Informed: <DomDaniel>

Most Helpful: <LifeMasterAJ>

Best Analysis: <Aylerkupp>

Sorry to be technical but we would have to disqualify your vote, since the Tal picture has only been <FSR>'s avatar since like Dec. 30th at the earliest. These awards are for <2011>.>

News flash: Dec. 30 <was> in 2011. Besides, I've been using this avatar since December 26. I had a Santa Claus avatar on December 24-25.

<Shams: Is there a page were puns are listed and pun authors credited?>

Well, far be it from me to stand in the way of a qualified candidacy, but I don't think this is like the Academy Awards, where you can just slip your movie in under the wire. Your "2011 Avatar" was Morphy, for 51 out of 52 weeks!

Chapter 1

THE PICKWICKIANS

"The first ray of light which illumines the gloom, and converts into a dazzling brilliancy that obscurity in which the earlier history of the public career of the immortal Pickwick would appear to be involved, is derived from the perusal of the following entry in the Transactions of the Pickwick Club, which the editor of these papers feels the highest pleasure in laying before his readers, as a proof of the careful attention, indefatigable assiduity, and nice discrimination*, with which his search among the multifarious documents confided to him has been conducted...."

To be clear, I nominated <dzechiel> as <Best analyst>, but wanted to be supportive of <FSR's> nomination of <DrMal>.

Some more nominations:

<best informed> <Domdaniel> knows an amazing amount about a wide variety of areas from poetry and literature to maths and science. Further, he is very good about sharing that information in a helpful way.

< Funniest Kibitzer >

User: technical draw

Not sure what you mean. User: DrMAL 's last kibitzing was on November 18, 2011.>

I stand corrected, my apologies, his last kibitz'n was on a game, played in <2006>.

<Most helpful>: Frogbert (dom), WinKing (capafan, hms123), Annie K. (Switch), LMAJ (morfishine), hms123 (OhioChessFan), FSR (HeMateMe)

<Best Written post>: Once (hms123), jimfromprovidence (morfishine), Chris Owen (capafan), TPStar (Switch, HeMateMe)

<Best profile>: Domdaniel (Switch), minasina (hms123)

<Game Collection>: Phony Benoni ((Switch)

<Historian>: JessicaFischerQueen (Switch, hms123, Domdaniel), SBC (WannaBe), Phony Benoni (HeMateMe)

<Username>: moronovich (Switch). Phony Benoni (morfishine), ResignationTrap (Switch), MostlyAverageJoe (HeMateMe), checkmateyourmove (OhioChessFan)

<Constructive>: WanaBe (Switch), morfishine (OCF), Once (OCF)

<Best informed>: wordfunph (Switch), Domdaniel (morfishine, hms123)

<Best analyst>: dzechiel (hms123), AylerKupp (OCF, morfishine), LMAJ (Domdaniel, HeMateMe), DrMal (FSR, Shams, TheFocus)

<Funniest>: Once (morfishine), WannaBe (HeMateMe), tpstar (OCF), TechnicalDraw (hms123, penguincw), nonaobrain (Morphyeus)

OK, Wabbit, here’s my full list. I’ve already nommed AJ, Jess and frog, but I’ll repeat the full list at the end. I’ll just mention a couple of the more eccentric choices first:

Best username: <Nemesistic> Heh. Now, some folk may argue that they only had one chance to pick a username, and this person may (allegedly) be on their 22nd already. And some might argue that the meaning of the name hints at somebody who is here for the ‘wrong’ kind of reasons. Who cares? Great name.

Best profile: <Thanh Phan> This is more for the future promise hinted at than anything said yet. But the seeds of greatness are most definitely there. Also, a few kind folk mention or quote me in their profiles. Thanks, but my probity (a new year gift, haven’t eaten it all yet … or is one s’posed to inject it?) prevents me from reciprocating with a well-deserved Nom.

Best written: OhioChessFan
Ohio writes as carefully as he thinks, which is very. We often reach different conclusions but my respect is vast.

avatar: twinlark
This year in RL I finally learned to take a dog for a walk. It was not unpleasant, though I wouldn’t want to do it every day, for life. (The old Rufus Thomas song “Walkin the Dog” is about heroin addiction … because you have to exercise it every day.) Anyhoo, I used to be more a cat person, as <Brankat> and <Annie K.> know. But this is a good excuse to nominate the great Dr Lark, a pillar of this site.

Enough already. Here’s my full list, including those named in previous posts.

<WannaBe> -- you can just ignore everything else I’ve said, and take these following nominations. If you would be so kind, sir. + Best username: <Nemesistic>

Best profile: <Thanh Phan>

best written: <OhioChessFan>

avatar: <twinlark>

analyst: <LMAJ>

historian: <JessicaFischerQueen>

helpful: <frogbert>

Game collection: <SwitchingQuylthulg> (Unusual Themes)

Funniest: <AnnieK.>

Most constructive: <hms123>

Informed: <tpstar>

Best pun: “dead every enormous piece” (GOTD Nov 16)

Alternative best pun (mine, unused): “Mate, James, and don’t spare the Horses”. I’ll find a game for it some day.

I’m tempted to add a nomination for ‘idiot of the year’, but I’ll pass. Idiots don’t need my endorsement as they have many ways to advertise their qualities.

<Most helpful>: Frogbert (dom), WinKing (capafan, hms123), Annie K. (Switch), LMAJ (morfishine), hms123 (OhioChessFan), FSR (HeMateMe)

<Best Written post>: Once (hms123), jimfromprovidence (morfishine), Chris Owen (capafan), TPStar (Switch, HeMateMe), OhioChessFan (Dom)

<Best profile>: Domdaniel (Switch), minasina (hms123), Thanh Phan (Dom),

<Game Collection>: Phony Benoni ((Switch), SwitchingQuylthulg (Dom)

<Historian>: JessicaFischerQueen (Switch, hms123, Domdaniel), SBC (WannaBe), Phony Benoni (HeMateMe)

<Username>: moronovich (Switch). Phony Benoni (morfishine), ResignationTrap (Switch), MostlyAverageJoe (HeMateMe), checkmateyourmove (OhioChessFan), Nemesistic (Dom)

<Constructive>: WanaBe (Switch), morfishine (OCF), Once (OCF), hms123 (Dom)

<Best informed>: wordfunph (Switch), Domdaniel (morfishine, hms123), tpstar (Dom)

<Best analyst>: dzechiel (hms123), AylerKupp (OCF, morfishine), LMAJ (Domdaniel, HeMateMe), DrMal (FSR, Shams, TheFocus)

<Funniest>: Once (morfishine), WannaBe (HeMateMe), tpstar (OCF), TechnicalDraw (hms123, penguincw), nonaobrain (Morphyeus), Annie K. (Dom)

<Avatar>: WannaBe (TD), FSR (polarx), lost in space (morfishine), BVer (HeMateMe), twinlark (Dom)

Who's Afraid of Emanuel / Wolf? Mar 24 Lasker/Wolf vs. Allies (OCF),

Once (morfishine),

<Most helpful>: That would have to be <dzechiel>, for laying bare his soul and his thought processes nearly every day.

<Best Written post>: Same as last year for me - Domdaniel.

<Historian>: Jess.

<Username>: Darthstapler. I think I voted for him last year as well. Silly, but it makes me laugh just thinking about it.

<Constructive>: <FSR> for the cool-headed and mature way he handled the flame war stuff we had earlier in the year.

<Funniest>: A new nomination for me this year - <sevenseasman>. The usual suspects are still funny, but it's good to have a new voice.

<Avatar>: <patriot>, shaken not stirred.

<best pun> "21. That was a very good year". Where else could you get Frank Sinatra connected to Capablanca and Lasker?