<Nicky Hopkins> on piano, most remarkably-

<Dom: <And if the opinion of a MASTER counts for anything, in line is where I need to be kept. I wonder what the opinion of a MISTRESS counts for ...>>

Ya don't wanna know, sweet. ;)

<hms>, <Dom> - Ender's Game <is> terrific - first class SF.

olden days
Golden days
Happy sweet sequestered days
Truth was mine
Joyous free and flaming life
Forsooth was mine

- excerpt from the lyrics of a masterful composition that was immortalized by Art Tatum in unparallelled fashion, and of course later set in place by The Chairman, and before and since every Jazz great that graced this watery planet with their timeless daredevil on the spot creations, works of rare art. An art now extinct.

A couple of 'take two's...

First, I have to say that I find the accidental sequence of:

<Dom: < [...] I ain't one of them mother @#$% ers.>>

<hms123: <<Dom> Thanks. That was clear and helpful.>>

utterly hilarious... :D

-----

On the subject of the team games, I think all points mentioned here are valid. But I also think that, besides all that, there's another effect working here, one loosely related to the online phenomenon we named "debate entropy amplification" (Annie K. chessforum) - the issue of "veterans" vs newcomers.

The "veterans" of previous games have a - very natural, but unfortunately unrealistic - expectation of being automatically recognized and respected for their previous contributions. The fact that newcomers will naturally fail to live up to this expectation is made worse by the mostly unconscious, but sporadically surfacing hostile/jealous attitude of said veterans <toward> newer members, wherein the veterans try to <demand> the laurels they (even rightly) believe they deserve, and in their growing desperation, resort to belittling the "johnny-come-latelies", minimize their achievements and contributions, ignore their suggestions, and repeatedly "remind" them that they are somehow "Class B citizens" for not having been around from the start - an attitude that doesn't exactly endear them to the new participants.

And - like you - I've also been around CG long enough (and have dealt personally with admins etc) to know a few things. I'm familiar with AJ's style, for starters. As a non-master I have no idea what he seems like to a newbie.

Near the end of the Nickel-1 game I announced my retirement from forum-hosting and cat-herding (twinlark's term for team organization) ... and said I would take on the role of <freelance nuisance>.

<Deffi> still reminds me of this from time to time. The word nuisance has certain hilariously filthy connotations in Indian English.

Somethin akin to what happens when an Australian sees a book called <Irish Roots>. Or an American tells an Englishman that there's something stuck to his fanny. I saw that happen once, and violence was narrowly averted.

Heh... ;)

I was one of the earliest Ra3 voters, btw. It just makes more sense: has more immediate usefulness (breaking the pawn pin, threatening lining up Rooks, etc.) and is less committal.

OK, where were we? :)

Yeah, the "veteran" issue is complex. Some have more veteranity, others have more veteraneousness. ;) In any case, they are *better* than them n00bs, who should simply shut up and vote as they are told. If we want their opinion, we'll tell them what it is. :p

<And, unlike certain egomaniacs I could name, you are too fundamentally decent to make wild accusations and not regret them later.> heh

And,
<Posted by <hms123> ... just before 1.d4 was played. Can't say we weren't warned.>

It's just that I lifted 'effector fields' from a Banks book which had a group of sentient warships known informally as the Interesting Times Gang.

Sigh. All good, I suppose. But I'm not great at *sharing*.

I've discussed poster/lurker ratios with you before, haven't I? ;)