Gabriel Almeida: colors? You mean politically flavored colors like gas-chamber green, or blood red? Or just normal like purple or pink? Or racially incorrect, like black? Oops. I learned the politically correct term is now 'of color', like 'a man of color' or 'a hole of color' (formerly called a 'black hole')...

warning, the above statement might contain sarcastic or humorous references

Let me tell you an example of what has been said here. This tournament. A lot of "pawn players" are waiting that it ends. Almost 3 years to play a 7 points cube gammon in groups of 4 or 5 players? It's obviously too much. And I know that players who haven't ended their games are great people. I'll say no names, but one of them is a great friend, a "clean and fair player", and I really respect and like him very much. But those pawns can't play any other tournament since January'2009! Some of them may be expecting to win it and the prize associated, and... nothing more than wait. (Listen to Waits music, BTW... eheh). This is "legal", but it's not understandable, in my opinion!

This board is turning into my favorite board to read. I especially like one person's post here (who name I won't mention because of the potential harsh penalty)

I don't have any brains and with all the tourneys I play in, you'd think I'd have at least one (even the one in my head is questionable)

Aganju:

Gabriel Almeida: Your example is terrible !
If I was the last player to make my moves, sure, I would feel guilty.

Gabriel Almeida: In the tournament you site, the games that are unfinished *don't matter* for determining who will play in the next round, therefore it should be started already! Fencer, why do you allow this?

Thad: Indeed, it should be possible to start the next round once the section winners are mathematically decided, even if there are games left. I'm not sure how much of a trouble it would be to code that however...

Roberto Silva: I agree it would be nice if the site could determine a winner of a section even before all games are done. Another idea would be to make it a way for a few "tournament masters" or something - people who understand tournament scoring could "mark" winners of a section so the next round could start before all the games are complete.

It would be some more "manual" work, but honestly it would be what - one or two tournament a week at the most that would need winners marked so the next round could start. (I would volunteer for the job.)

Of course both solutions would include additional site programming, but would be a nice addition to the site.

coan.net: Yes, you are right. Either solution would require programming and testing, which I currently don't have time for. Anyway, I don't think it's a critical issue when people can play unlimited number of tournaments.

Fencer: "I don't think it's a critical issue when people can play unlimited number of tournaments"

True, but not everyone can - even those with paid subscriptions (knights and bishops) may be prevented from playing tournaments of a particular game for years.

Roberto Silva: I have a better solution than to rewrite the tournament system. It just takes some time to complete.

Fencer: I have a good idea, how about.........i know, i will write to you rather than start a huge debate lol

Mélusine: There are still a few players playing. And one of the slowest, as I said, is a person I really respect, good player and friend. So, this is nothing personal, and if he/she read this, I'm sure he/she'll understand!

Can somebody find a good estimate of the percentage of tournaments affected by this?

Fencer, a while ago you had mentioned maybe another color code for memberships. Have you thought any more about that? This was your comment ( Well, I think we could make one more membership action with colour codes. Or something like that.)

I was given 30 brains some time ago, a kind gift from another. I'd like to use these brains to enter so prize tournaments, to increase my brains. However, even with the free gift this is very difficult to do. If I played backgammon or chess, maybe, but for the games I play, there don't seem to be many options.

ChaseWinstead: How's this? Brain Prize Tourney for Chase

I made a random Brain Tourney of the games I see on your profile that you play.

It really belongs on the Tourney board, so I'll put it there too.

I think I understand what he means. I also got a generous gift of 20 brains, and have entered 5 tournaments with them yet (I won 6 brains in one of them), so that leaves me with 1 brain, and four running tournaments. Or should I say ongoing tournaments; they are not running in any sense.
They are not even going well, but that is another topic.
But maybe around Christmas, one of them might end, and I might be able to join another one.

I asked that question before (and it resulted in the donation), but I'd really like to know - how do you get brains?
- you can win them (but only if you have some to risk)
- you can get them donated (thanks again, but that can't be the preferred way)
- you can buy other people memberships? not sure about that one?
- there is a page that claims you can get them for free if you complete some easy steps, but I could not find those easy steps (here it says 'By completing a simple process of easy tasks, you will be awarded with 20 Brains and you can start to explore all other possibilities with no actual investment. Please visit this page for details.'), but there is no simple process of easy tasks described?

Aganju: How did you get a gift of brains? I didn't know that was possible. The last brain action (where you could get some free) was April 08. I think the brain system is disabled. The only members who have brains are those who bought them in the past or won a brain tournament.

Marshmud: I would guess it's a case of someone asking Fencer to transfer some of their own brains to someone else, so that they can use them for the brain tourneys.

rod03801: Yes, I think that is right. I posted a question on this message board some time ago about getting brains. Some generous soul read my post and asked Fencer to transfer 30 brains to me. As far as I can tell, there is no other way that I could have gotten brains.

rod03801:Fencer has... 7 brains! :) 

Gabriel Almeida: yeah...ones lost, and the other six are out looking for it!! lol
j/k

Bwild: There's no hope... if the owner can't get brains for himself, what can we do, simple "not-owning-members"?

The owner can, of course, but why should he bother? to enter a tournament so he can try to win more of them?
Hmmm, come to think of it, the same applies to me too. Maybe I should try to unload mine on ebay? :)

rabbitoid: You will be able to swop them for Euros soon.

Justaminute:

Yeah Fencer on the new bonus membership. It will be sporting to try and catch the 100%

RED CODE! RED CODE! RED CODE!

Gabriel Almeida:

Artful Dodger: I've got the red one today. Yesss.
I wonder if I can use a color for someone else; I mean to pay something to someone else with the color on my page ?

Mélusine: I believe you can. I've gotten red before and gifted it to others. ;)

Artful Dodger: Ok, thank you.

I don't understand how this works; let's say I still have 6 month of membership running, but I buy a new one now with the bonus. Do I not lose the still open six months, just to replace it with the bonus? If the bonus is 25%, I would actually lose on the whole thing?
More generally asked, what happenes if I buy membership while the current one is running? Anyone tried this?

Aganju: no, you loose nothing, whatever you purchase for example we'll use your 25% example, would extend your 6 months by one year and three months for a total of 21 months if you were to purchase a one year membership

6 (months left) + 1 year (membership purchased )+ 3 months (bonus) = 21 months

Aganju: You don't lose anything. I bought a membership and mine finished before on December 2011, and the new membership begins on January 2012.

RED CODE!

Aganju: Bought! I should now have 7+2*12 months more membership :-)

actually, the life time memberships should be half price instead of 100% longer. Most people don't have any use for twice lifetime...

Aganju: You could buy one, and sell the other (as in share the cost) so that two people get black for the price of one. That's what I did. ;)

Ok that makes sense. If you are willing to spend that kind of money for someone else.
How would you do that ? Write in the message how you want it handled? I did not see any fields for that.

I thought a while about ordering like 10 various memberships in one go, and stockpile them to use in tourneys I start from time to time. I wouldn't want to make a separate order every time for each tourney, as it is rather cumbersome to pay for me (the process, I mean). How could that work?

Aganju: I bought a 2 for one and then gave one to another member. They sent me 1/2 the cost to my paypal. That was a few years ago. Several people teamed up that way.

Artful Dodger: Or... the other one only needs your IBAN/SWIFT... and wish to pay it! ;)

black code?

MelissaMarie: From this page http://brainking.com/en/PaidMembership?p=3 is defined as:

"Black code - a randomly selected bonus from this list"

ok, got it :)

I am always a little slow. I'm not quite sure how this bonus program works. I got the red code, what does that actually do for me?

Thank you

Skeeky: Well, if you purchased a membership, while you had the red code, you would get double what you bought.

I am still counting on color conquering achievement, but to achieve that it must be easter bonus. I hope easter bonuses (just limited easter bonus alone may be enough)