<Judit> has been away too long fom top level competition at classical time controls, I believe.

and you posted one that I couldn't crack, and then you erased it?

I'm very curious to know what the sentence was, if you still have it somewheres.

If it's too rude you can email it to me.

Jess of the saw a Opossum the other night crossing the road again.

It's our only link to Oz!!

There is the exception of your little "apology": <Plato><In the future, if I get into an argument with someone I'm going to try to make sure that it's something *worth* arguing about and also that I remain polite throughout the argument... In the future, if anyone notices that I'm initating a useless dispute or that I'm letting someone else's provocation drag me into an ugly argument, just type the code-word "<Smyslov>" and hopefully I'll remember today's promise and manage to keep it.>

Maybe I missed the exception clause for the occasions when you are "forced to defend yourself". Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you regard each of our encounters as "self defence"? The really frustrating thing about arguing with you is that you never really respond to anything. You just repeat the same information over and over and over, and whatever is said in response, you just retort with that very same information, regardless of relevance or coherence. The thing is that you're a little ball of hypocrisies and inconsistencies, and the galling thing is watching you struggle around, twisting words to make yourself seem coherent. You're wasting your time. I regard you as a bumbling idiot, and the only way you could change that opinion is if you weren't a bumbling idiot. I think you know why I regard you as a bumbling idiot. And I don't think it's a secret to anyone else that I regard you as a bumbling idiot. So what exactly are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to convince people that you're not a bumbling idiot? Are you trying to convince me? What are you "defending" exactly? And why don't you just keep your promise and shut up?

My promise was not to shut up, nor was it to stop defending myself from your unprovoked attacks. My intention was to prevent subjecting the pages of great GMs like Smyslov from such irrelevant and nasty debate. And it's true that I also wished to prevent myself from getting sucked into these arguments with you, but I told you then and I'll tell you again that when you insult me without provocation, you're doing nothing but starting another argument. It was not intended to give you a free license to insult me whenever you feel like it.

This is a personal forum, and plenty of things are discussed here that don't involve chess or GMs. If you once again attack me on the page of a GM, I'll respond in a personal forum. I am also trying to maintain a more level tone with you, even while you go on insulting me with your obnoxious remarks ("bumbling idiot," "noisy blowhard," etc etc etc). This time I haven't stooped to your level, at least not yet. Your numerous insults reflect much worse on you than they do on me. Unfortunately your level of debating has remained as low as ever.

<you basically just keep repeating the same information: 1) You are blameless>

Never said that. If I was blameless on previous occasions I would not have apologized for anything. We were both to blame. However, you are certainly more to blame in this case than I am.

<2) I started it>

You did. You insulted me without any provocation. AGAIN. And your excuse/justification was simply pathetic and insincere:

<danielpi: <Plato> was mentioned, so I responded, and then he decided to make it his business by bringing up a lot of old issues, so I felt I ought to quickly dispense with him.>

Yes I was mentioned. And yes, you responded. But *how* was I mentioned and *how* did you respond? I think everyone here was able to see for themselves. I was mentioned in a positive context, <jess> mentioned that she is now friends with me. Does that suddenly give you a reason to start insulting me after over a month of quiet when I said NOTHING bad about you? Your name came up a number of times... Should I have considered the mere mention of your name enough cause to start insulting you, as you do for me?

<danielpi: Are you trying to convince people that you're not a bumbling idiot?>

Why do you continue hurling these insults at me? Why can't you maintain at least a modicum of respect? You come across as very immature every time you speak this way... I don't think you've related to me even once for the past few months without at least one low insult. Anyway, I have nobody to convince except you, because nobody else here regards me that way. I've noticed that this seems to trouble you to no end, that other kibitzers are respectful towards me. You're constantly trying to get them to join you in your juvenile ridicule, and when they treat me respectfully you are frustrated. Take, for example, your response to <Jess> when she mentioned that she was friends with me. Or your response to <achieve> when he pointed out the obvious, viz., that you were the one who started the argument here.

But no, I'm not trying to convince you. You can think of me in whatever way you like. You're certainly not someone I respect, anyway, and I was well aware that you don't think much of me either. What does bother me is when you insult me publicly on these forums, however. I don't like to get publicly insulted, and neither do you. That's why I have moved on after our debates ended. Why can't *you* keep your thoughts private once these debates are over, like I have done every time, rather than coming back and publicly ridiculing/insulting me? When you publicly insult me, you are just instigating another argument.

Let me throw similar questions back at you: What are YOU trying to accomplish every time you return after weeks or months to hurl a fresh new insult at me? What's the point? Are you trying to get others to share your low opinion of me? In fact I think that's exactly what you're trying to do. But do you really think it's worth it?

However, I won't just stand by and read his obnoxious remarks about me without responding. He apparently takes some sadistic satisfaction with his frequent insults. I don't think either of us *enjoy* these feuds, which is why I have suggested to him time and again to just move on without relating to me and that I would do the same (which I have done).

I wonder how to put an end to this when he proves repeatedly unwilling to move on, even after months?

<Jess> You needn't respond to this if you don't want to.

It's ashame the <plato>-<danielpi> feud has been restarted on your forum. It's not your fault. You just posted a friendly comment about me and <dp> took it as a golden opportunity to hurl insults at me... again. So perhaps in the future it would be best for you and others not to mention my name to <danielpi>, even in a friendly way, because he has indicated that he apparently considers any mention of my name as legitimate grounds for insulting me. It doesn't bother me that you're friends with him, even though it seemed to bother him that you are friends with me. Ideally we can both have mutual CG friends and just ignore each other. That's what I've been trying to do.

The last time I did that, I almost alienated a Kibbitzer who has become a very good friend.

Like <DomDaniel>, I'm not in favor of any kind of censorship.

You guys are welcome to argue here anytime you want as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't hurt me any or the people who come here.

I won't mention either of you to the other ever again, no problem there.

Jess of the whatever amendment guarantees free speech.

<In Canada, we did not have a Constitutional guarantee of free speech rights until 1982!>

That's why it says there is "no free speech in Canada" in my Profile!!

I happen to adore you both, personally, so you guys do whatever you see fit.

I don't see the harm in anything here myself.

Jess of the "it's all good"

You guys will reach a settlment I'm sure.

I have lost the last four games I played on <Yahoo> in a row. I generally play two a day, the games normally last 1-2 hours as I tend to take my time with my moves.

I believe I'm in what <Josh Waitzkin> calls the "downward spiral," a loss of confidence in myself.

Any suggestions? I'm sure this is psychological and I didn't suddenly become a way worse chess player than I was three days ago.

Cold shower?

Once more into the breach?

Take a break?

I'm looking for suggestions here folks.

Jess of the DAGNABBIT

See? How can I evaluate a chess position when I'm angry and underconfident.

Maybe I need to get laid?

OOps what a giveaway!

No letters please.

Well, it's good to see you're keeping your promise. Recap: So what you're saying is that you've promised not to get sucked into pointless arguments, unless you get sucked into a pointless argument. Oh, right, you also promised not to defile the pages of great players (as if Karpov, Carlsen, or Smyslov gave a whit what we wrote on their pages).

<That's why I have moved on after our debates ended.>

Pfff. Who ended them? You were always fighting for the last word, and I let you have it every time, including our last encounter, which left you spiraling into that bizarre little "apology" act, in the face of (what I regarded as) your public humiliation.

<Why do you continue hurling these insults at me? Why can't you maintain at least a modicum of respect?>

What have you done to deserve it?

<You come across as very immature every time you speak this way... >

Thanks for the info.

<You insulted me without any provocation. AGAIN>

Hah! This is great. I say that you're repetitive, and that you just keep repeating these same four points like a broken record regardless of relevance, and your rebuttal is: "You did start it!" Hah! Case in point.

And I always read every single one of the posts anyone puts in here, so I'll never lose one of your moves in "the shuffle."

Just to let you all know that I have moved and its YOUR MOVES, BUDS!

It's really bugging you and both of you are stronger and more experienced players than me.

I could use some advice!!

No, but the rest of the CG community does. And quite frankly, I think that such arguments are completely out of place on those forums (not to mention against CG rules).

<Pfff. Who ended them? You were always fighting for the last word, and I let you have it every time, including our last encounter, which left you spiraling into that bizarre little "apology" act, in the face of (what I regarded as) your public humiliation.>

I don't care how you regarded it. It was not an act. And my "last word" was an apology, in that case, and it wasn't the first time that I tried (unsuccessfully, given your immaturity) to put an end to our feuds. Quite frankly, what matters to me most is that once the debates end that both of us are able to move on. I have been able to. You have not. You're not able to get over them even months after they finish. If it happened just once, fine, but THREE times? That's just ridiculous.

<So what you're saying is that you've promised not to get sucked into pointless arguments, unless you get sucked into a pointless argument.>

I do not consider it pointless to defend myself from your obnoxious and unprovoked attacks. And I do think it's much better for the debates to be on personal forums such as this one than the forums of GMs.

<repeating these same four points like a broken record regardless of relevance>

You rarely relate to my points yourself. Many of the ones that I keep repeating are points that you are unable to find an adequate response to because they are completely true. So you turn to your typical attempts at ridicule.

<Plato is a big ugly fugly. Oh no! Defend yourself! It's too horrible!>

There are tons of <tactics puzzles> on my <Chessmaster> I've yet to go through.

I am a <WWII> History buff, of all things, and I recently changed my forum "header."

I know that's a <Messerschmid ME-109> there, and the tank is definitely from World War Two.

I thought it might be a <Matilda, King Tiger, or Joseph Stalin>, but I've been visiting tank websites recently and I don't think it's any of those.

The gun is 76 mm no?

Anyhoo, <Eyal> said you were into such things as well and suggested asking you.

Do you know which kind of tank it is?

<When you play trumpet, your overall skill, that is if you practice, will increase. It's just a matter of how you will get there. Your course is not going to be a straight line, always increasing, but will face more setbacks on the first few years>

Now, I doubt this is your first few years in playing chess, but nonetheless, that <downward spiral> is normal. All players face that setback. If you really want to know my way of getting over that, it's rather simple: I go around facing people really lower rated than me! I know that's cheap, but it boosts my confidence, and in a way, helps me get over my negative self-evaluation.

Oh, and if you think that's bad, my history in <uchess.com> is worse. I have about three times as many losses as wins, lost 7-8 games in a row about a week ago, blew a mate-in-one, missed a mate-in-one, and gave away my queen to a simple fork, lost to a guy I outrated by 500 points (because of a mistake), and once turned down an opportunity to capture a hanged queen.

Thank you for your excellent suggestions.

I think I will take both you and <Join the Army's> advice.

Did you read my post on <final destinaton> series?

I can't remember... Anyways, II is even better than I, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it.

III is not so hot.

So if you don't enjoy these arguments -- and I don't enjoy them, and I'm pretty sure that most of the other CG kibitzers don't enjoy them either -- then stop insulting and provoking me out of the blue (and then getting defensive when others point this out, appealing to the mere mention of my name as your "excuse" for insulting me).

I asked <jess> to consider deleting the posts because I don't think any of us enjoy them, except maybe you in a kind of warped sadistic way. But she has decided not to, and since it's her forum I respect that decision. But so long as you continue stooping to such an immature level and making fun of me in your obnoxious way, don't be surprised if I respond. I will continue trying to respond with a more respectful tone than you exhibit, especially since it's clear to me that your unfortunate tone says more about you than it does about me, but I will not stay quiet while you malign me at will.

The Death of Bufon: A Poem in Quatrains

There once was a lad, whose name was Bufon,
whose logic and spelling did astound all.
Much did he hate a game that was drawn;
and loudly he oft proclaimed "Drawnikk wil fall!!1!"

Like a god, Bufon possessed many a name,
<Idiott>, <dubas>, <sutpid>, <sheetbranes>, but always, he was and would always remain,
Good ol' Bufon, the one and the same.

In World vs. Nickel, Bufon thought, "Oh @#$% it"
and called upon his army of sock puppets
to vote for the move that seemed best to Bufon,
Bufon vs. Nickel! Bufon moved the pawn.

But the admins, they discovered his plan,
and moved swiftly: his IP was banned.
Yet some say they still hear Bufon's ghost sing:
Olny tru kings!!! Onyl trU kings!!!1!11!!

Can I cut and paste that to put in <Bill's> forum?

He is a new member (great guy btw) and is fascinated by the <legendary saga> which you have put into verse!

He will be pleased, as he is an <English Lit Professor>.