pauloaguia: It's the same with Firefox.

Sumerian: If you refuse my proposal, give me an alternative how I should behave.

Maybe you should delete all the information from your profile and publicly claim here that you are no longer using any engine and just continue using Smirf secretly, thus becoming a real cheater ...
Obviously, this would be the worst solution for all of us, but it looks as it is the only way your opponents (the "It is in the rules !" people) will stop complaining.
I think what you are doing is acceptable and, in a sense, honest. And I don't need rules and User Agreements to tell me the difference between right and wrong.

Hrqls: Good point. I think everyone agrees on defining it as using an outside PC (or Mac :-) program, created by someone else, for the purpose of gaining advantage in one particular game (which does not include "gaining advantage" by playing against the program & thus improving your general chess skills).
This way is correct, I believe, and Sumerian is thus out of the category (which is correct too, I believe).

Caissus: Caissus, I reacted to your post before because it seemed to me that it says (in other words) "the best way to deal with the fact that many people are using programs is to use a program yourself so that the chances are even". For my part, I have to say that it is much better for me if there are cheaters on the site (people using SW and not admitting it) than if let's say, 60% of chess players would be using SW, admitting it openly and thus forcing the others into using SW as well. This is the way I saw your proposal and it frightened me.
After all, I do not see the point of the programs at all - using a program turns an exciting game into administrative work and as for rating, how can one be happy about his/her rating, knowing that it is not his/her own achievement ?

Caissus: Following from what you've said, the use of programs is no longer a matter of rules but one of honesty. We cannot tell whether a certain player uses computer assistance or not but the idea that everyone should use the programs is ridiculous, as it is the best way to kill all the fun the game brings. Rather, it would be honest and fair, if the players admitted that they use CA ... which is exactly what Sumerian does.

Czuch Chuckers:
1) Similarly you could say not all feature requests are related to BK as they deal with various games that we do not even know
2) It is only Chessmaster's business what kind of contest he offers
3) The contest is a good thing for the site and the players too, perhaps and opportunity to start studying gothic chess for some and to have the biggest impact it should be posted here not only because
4) it is just ONE post

I had to respond because I think your critique is very unfair.

Nuno: I sent you a reply to the Gothic checkers board.

"easy to understand" is not a quality of the rating formula ... rather of the one who uses it LOL
No, sorry, I do not understand it either :-) ... but I think the BK formula works well ... if you go through BBW's points carefully, you will find answers to all that doesn't seem "reasonable" to you ...

The three games Nellaf lost ended in the 1st move ... thus no BKR change

Daniel: Hmm ... maybe try going through the running Prize tournaments, find one where a paying member is about to win & start negotiating :-)

If I don't do it first ! LOL

Skyking: If you look into the person's profile, you will he has free days on Saturday and Sunday ... The way the new time-out system works is, that it adds extra 24 hours *after* you time-out (if it is weekend or holidays).

So keep resigning ... LOL

There is a person on this site, who keeps creating new identities (the current is "3030", it used to be "orion", "ares" and many more such as "abcd", etc. some time ago). He usually has a sentence "standard chess only" in his profile. He creates new public invitations (a few games of chess and a couple of 3-win chess matches) with each new ID. After you accept one of these, he deletes the game or gives it up after a couple of moves.

I am posting this as a warning for those who would accept his invitations - it is just a waste of time and game slots for pawns.