You can stop spamming my forum any time, you old fool.

This place is dedicated to the memory and chess of <Bobby Fischer>.

And again it was your idea, originally. I know my history. heh

I couldn't help but to put in a little reference, for future generations, and considering the current....

I was wondering how long it would take <The Center> to become itself...

Yes, it appears that the various houses are gravitating to their "real" names, except for poor <Dom>, who currently presides over the <House of Ten Thousand Lashes>.

Can't be bad!!

What about

DIVINE PUNISHMENT - JAHWEH'S WRATH

.. or a slight adjustment for daytime viewing (Delightful Punishment - Look no Further)

I think your Profile is a marvellous resource for Bobby Fischer fans ind new, interested members. A wonderful addition to the site, and I have yet to check out all the material

And I will remove the "just saying" bit tomorrow, as you rightly pointed out--- The Center should just be "itself."

Sounds good= and you sound in good spirits too.

BLOODY GOOD SHOW

I can only close these thoughts with this famous line from the band <Chicago>:

I found the "Come out chicken" line that people were debating awhile back. Not Slater. It was Arthur Koestler trying to sound hip, in the intro to Golombek's book.

Possibly because I can't speak Korean, and nobody can speak English.

I just found out today that I had received a <2000 dollar> "year's end bonus"--

Two months ago.

That is, the check was issued and sent two months ago, but I had no idea that it existed until today, when someone decided they should probably tell me and even hand it over.

Heh... I made some subsequent inquiries and discovered from my only friend at the school who can speak <The King's English> (yes-his name is "Mr. Kim" and no jokes please) that the Daegu Schoolboard decided to give a fat bonus to anyone who agreed to return to Korea because apparently almost no foreign teachers signed up for a second year.

Except me.

Who signed up WITHOUT KNOWING about the freaking bonus.

Well, since the <2000 dollars> is likely to be worth 20 cents by the time I get back to Canada, I'm going to invest it all in <Designer Marble Chess Boards>.

Now, if I could only find a chess store in rural Korea...

On a related note, I went to "work" this morning only to be told at "lunch time" that it was "time to go home" because

<You Didn't know today was only a half day?>

No, I said.

<Well, you go home now>.

I wish you could experience Korea also.

Anyone want to trade lives for a month or two?

Ha! I didn't think so.

Also, I got to play chess this afternoon and I just won again with <English> opening...

Do you think I've become obsessed with this opening because I accidentally became an English teacher?

It never occurred to me until this second.

Regards,
Insane Olde Batte

WHOOOOOPA you have to love this place.

I looks like You are having Yourself a ball in Korea. Wouldn't be even half as much fun in Vancouver or New West.

Plus, the money is better. Not to mention that here You wouldn't save a penny, while in Your region of Korea it appears You need to be really creative to find a way to spend a buck.

I bet You there is a 5,000 bonus for the 3rd year contract :-) But, that may be pushing Your luck too much.

Everything is wicky wacky woo in Waikiki.

House ism: There's no "I" in "team". There's a "me" though if you jumble it up a bit.

The Anandophiles and Kramnikes are already gathering at the watering hole. I trust Madam will lose yet another night of sleep.

Anyone want to trade lives for a month or two?>

Thanks for them encouraging words...

I told <Mrs. Alekhine> to stay the heck outta here so I'm not sure where she went...

heh--

I am deeply, deeply ignorant of the world of "go", except I'm almost sure they call it something else over here.

It is of course one of the main reasons Korea has no chess Grandmaster- all the "chessy types" are Go Masters instead.

Someone tried to explain it to me once but I couldn't even understand the rules.

"But how do you win?" I kept asking.

"It's not how you win, he said."

Unfortunately I can only watch the first 2 hours tonight, as unlike today I'll actually have some teaching to do tomorrow.

It'll be Friday-saturday before I can watch a whole game again.

<Folded sentences>

It's a great game eh? I never played it before. I'm not even sure I'm following the rules correctly.

<Nyet> <yet..yet>

For the love of Mike.. I was trying to type <yeti>...

See?

I've been planning to email him but haven't gotten around to it.

If I had to guess, he is busy and possibly got turned off by some of the recent "unpleasantness" at the site--- as he does sometimes--

but I don't want to speak for him.

I'm sure he's ok, as he "locked his front door" before taking his vacation away from this place.

PS I just posted some "chess pictures" at the <infamous thread> if you're interested in a peek.

I'll see you in the gallery.

Someone tried to explain it to me once but I couldn't even understand the rules.>

They call it baduk in country. The chessy types play baduk because it is a better game (excuse this blasphemy). Also there's more money in it. Baduk is the easiest game to learn to play and the hardest to master. Chess has something like 35 rules. Baduk has about 10.

Here's a point you will like: there are no master Baduk computer programs. For years there has been a million dollar prize for a PC master strength program. So far no takers. Recently a super computer program beat a professional but that's a gazillion cores running at terafloppy speed. Or whatever it's called. Anyway the only relevant analysis is done the old fashioned way - old men with long white beards and sumi brushes.

Now you're just shallowly shallowly ignorant which is probably more than you wanted to be in the first place. Excuse my incessant babbling about baduk.