Vikings: LOL. And I'd like to order all sort sof things in a less than random (database id) fashion.

Fencer and sorting things... there's something awry there that I don't understand.

Czuch Chuckers: Nope. In this instance it means sick in the head. But the result of his pathology is cheating behaviour, at least as far as I'm concerned.

Czuch Chuckers: So if you invited 20 people to an 11-hour match and 19 of them timed out, would you continue to issue that sort of invitation or would you be dissatisfied with that kind of "victory"?

We're talking about someone who is consistent is using this method. This is not a normal person but someone with a pathology of some sort. How can you say it's not cheating?

Czuch Chuckers: And what you are saying is....?

Czuch Chuckers: Are you saying you'd be happy to accept this guy's invitation and have him wait until you went to bed or work and then suck your points though a timeout?

Emmett, Pythagoras: Wise words but they're heading down the path of off-topic,

Rose: No, it's unfortunate but there are many innocents caught by his scam... and many more yet to be caught. Have a look at his Battleboats, for instance. Far too many different names against the low number of moves matches.

Pythagoras: Yes, there's something sad and pathetic about someone who makes such cheating** their priority (even if they are 80, lol).

(** "cheating" defined in a vaguer, more human and less "ruley" sense )

Pythagoras: We discussed him on the backgammon board, too (Top 9 messages from the link). Some of his opponents don't realise the implications of the 11-hour-zero-bonus clock that he uses. Others think he's using that clock because he wants a fast game but discover that he stalls until they cannot stay at their computer. Then he moves and their clock runs out while they're asleep or at work. Strictly speaking it's legal but I consider him a cheat.

heavenlyemma: You're close to the truth there. My current sleeping pattern has left me very fuzzy-brained.

Eriisa: Aye. I seem to recall that from when I read that page back when I joined. It makes sense, too, as "referral" implies new members.

SMIRF Engine: I'd like more information about a player's rate of playing too. The number of moves per game per day would be useful. I'd even like there to be a new stats table listing people by this value. We have the most number of moves per day so why not a speed of playing table? Ideally different figures would be available for each game type, or perhaps variant, but even just the single all-encompassing figure would be most useful.

Princess Alison: You'd have to resign 5 times to get rid of the match.

emmett: It can't be said often enough. Knights who only play a subset of the games (eg. the gammons or in your case, chess) get a raw deal regarding touernaments. There should be a set number of tournamants, not one per game type.

LOL. It's amazing how so many people seem upset by this suggestion! Tony's request has nothing to do with anybody who is happy with the way things are. He would like an *option*, an alternative - one that would suit him, and probably others, better. [shrug]

Marfitalu: I don't know but I can do it if you want me to? ;-))

BIG BAD WOLF: LOL. Which makes a good case for either a monthly allocation or a complete vacation renewal on the membership anniversary.

tonyh: No, that still wouldn't apply in a monthly system if there is a cap of 30 days. If there is a renewal of the 30 days in January then losing any days on December 31st is moot. In the monthly system you wouldn't get your 3 days if you were already at 30 - that's losing unused days on a monthly basis instead of in December.

I think the monthly allotment is a logical request because it allows another way for a person to manage their vacation days. If it's provided as a choice then Tony, Sharon and Vikings could all be happy.

lovelysharon: If the incremental allotment gave the same number of days and you started with a decent quotient then you would certainly be able to do your "accumulation of days between". If you couldn't then you'd have to run out of days under the current system as well, because they both provide the same amount.

lovelysharon: Yes, I realised when Hrqls posted that you were continuing the topic.

30 days in January or 3 days per month would surely be a choice for each user to decide. But even if 3 days per month were forced upon people there shouldn't be the problem that you fear, except right at the start of membership. If you take a long holiday in February but none in September through January then you'd easily have built up enough to take 10 days off. It's only in the first year that there would be any problem. If I were implementing that system then I'd avoid even that hardship by starting people off with 10 or 15 days and then adding the 3 days per month thereafter. But giving the choice is better.

Hrqls: Ah, I see I actually misunderstood. Lovelysharon's query wasn't addressed to anyone so I thought it was a separate issue.

It makes sense, then, that lump sum vs monthly paycheck should be a user option.

lovelysharon: You mean a real vacation for two weeks and 3 BrainKing days left? They'll lose a vacation day for the first match that would time out on a given day. That match gets extended. The rest of the matches that would time out on that same day get extended too and are covered by the same vacation day. This can happen three times after which the vacation days are used up and the matches time out for real.

Is that what you were asking?

Vikings: lol. Yeah, self-discipline's the answer. Now what shop sells that stuff 'cos I need some in about 100 areas of my life...

ScarletRose: Tony's not asking for more vacation days. He's saying that rather than give a lump sum of in January, he'd prefer to have 3 days added at the end of each month.

That would mean 6 additional days for a Rook because twelve 3s is 36, but it could be done as 3 days in Jan, 2 days in Feb, 3 in Mar, etc. This would give no extra days but still spreads out the allocation.

For Knights it would be 2 per month giving 24 for the year or 2 days for Jan and Feb, 1 day for Mar, 2 for Apr, May, etc. giving the current 20.

Luke Skywalker: If you call it Taurus Froglet people will be asking where the bulls are. ;-)

Howdy ellieoop, The column titles "Game Event Opponent Your color Move Time left" are links. Whichever you click is how the list will be sorted.

The green light indicates a time control with fixed (ie. Sat/Sun) weekends and no other vacation days allowed. More info here.

rabbitoid: I believe it's nominations, though harley may make the final selection. On the other hand a quick search found this.

hotmommy22: Have a click on the Interviews link at the top of this board. That'll show the what. The 'why' varies. First, of course, the royalty, then some early members and global moderators. Now the search has moved out into the general poulation...

Fencer: LOL. My thanks are for making that optional so I don't have to have the notes above the board!

tehual: As I said in PM, my investigation showed that there's zero evidence of systematic cheating by this person. One incident doesn't make a pattern! :-/

However, Congratulations on the win. :-)

wellywales: I quite agree and had much to say (3 long messages) about the subject at the end of August. About 30 or so messages from this point.


I think the value for money for Knights is appalling when it comes to tournaments. It's such a stingy deal that you almost might as well be a Pawn.

A word of advice for future tournaments. Check the other players and drop out if you find someone with a mega list of games. They will probably be slow (and if not, why take the risk when there are so many other tourneys and you have a ridiculous limit of only one!). Also choose the ones with shorter time limits as the longer time limits attract slower players so you'd either be dropping more of these on average or be regretting getting stuck in one.

Fencer: You could put a long rambling spiel (I'll write it if you like, lolol) expaining the whys and wherefores of blah, blah, blah... Put it at the top of every page and make it really long so that they have to scroll and scroll to get to their games or the game itself. No loss of games and a very simple cure - Cut down to Pawn levels or Throw me the money!

My Lady: Yes'm.

Princess Alison: Like all but the occasional bad apple, you're no cheat. But Tiyulee has discovered that players who value people and honour less than rating points, even those scored in an empty way, can exploit the Fischer's clock.

For example, they'll offer a one hour game with a one hour bonus. A player, the victim, accepts in the belief that the game wlil be played in an hour or two and that the offer is from someone who's using the clock because they want swift action. Instead the cheat waits for the entire hour before making their move. This gives them another hour from the bonus. Even if the victim player plays immediately, the cheat will delay for a further hour. A few hours later the game has still hardly begun but, as Tiyulee says, life and/or sleep causes the victim to make a last move then reluctantly log out. An hour or so later the axe falls. Chalk up a shameful victory for the cheat.

There are very few people like that but all sites have one or two. Sociopaths like to play games too, even if they aren't the games that normal people play. At VogClub, there's a player who offers matches which have a total time of 2 minutes (it's a real-time site). This is for a 64-point match! Obviously you can hardly finish a single game in two minutes, let alone a 64-point match, so the whole thing is an exercise in who can click the fastest. Unsuspecting players (uncountable and I was one) come to the table without realising that it's got a ridiculous time limit. A few moves later having pondered on how badly the cheat is playing and how best to take advantage of the poor moves, the game is over. And it's a shock! The cheat also pretends to not know what's happening and acts all concerned. Then, when you cotton on (usually after another player has filled you in on this guy), the cheat gets all blase - "it was done to me, sob, sob, so I do it to others". Very pathetic.

_________
The other exploit that Tiyulee is exposing is where the cheat offers to play two games of a game type that has a bias in favour of one side, usually white. Pente, for instance, is won by white in 53% of games but only 47% for black. That's 13% more wins for white than black (53/47 = 1.127). The cheat offers two games with alternating colours but deletes the match in which he is black.

I'm explaining this one without having witnessed it myself. I haven't played any two-game matches and deleted one of the games, so I don't know if it's actually possible. It makes sense that deleting the first game will delete the match and that deleting the second is not allowed at all (otherwise what happens to the match?). So perhaps Tiyulee is referring to two separate single-game matches of one colour each.

Princess Alison: Only by game type and that's split by year as well. The entire list for a prolific and long term member would be humongous!

Rose: Ah, I stand corrected, beggin' your pardon. I read in Wikipedia that Thanksgiving was a Canadian celebration as well, but - oops, wrong day!

That good wish needs a streeeeeeeetch to reach the right day.

Indeed, a Happy Thanksgiving to Canada and America.

Tiyulee: What's "cookie inflation"? What did you notice?

"cookies started to install spyware" - this is impossible as stated. What do you mean?

657: Ah, 657, you're American so you wouldn't understand. Brainking's discussion boards are part of what makes it great here. Why? Because the #1 game in Britain is Complaining closely followed by the Whinging and Moaning variants. Even if everything's going perfectly we'll complain that it's only a matter if time before it all goes wrong.

Marfitalu: In the ordinary "Run around" pond the player who puts up the least amount of money in each round goes out.

In the "Run in the Rain" Pond there are two players who go out per round - the highest as well as the lowest. Example: Round 1, Round 2...

In the Dark version nobody knows who has bid what amount in previous rounds until the pond is finished. Examples: Finshed, Still going

Arctic Warrior, Matarilevich: It also occurs when a poster is hidden globally or when messages has been posted and then deleted before you get to the board.

Hey, not fair. Why don't I get PMs from the *******?


[Pleeeeease delete me, let me goooo, tra la la, la la laaaaaa..... I'm juuuuuust a silly joke, you know..... ]

Kipling: Definitely!

Pedro: It wouldn't mess up the database, let alone the "entire" game database!

Four reasons already mentioned: It's good for releasing names, it's good for uncluttering lists, it's good for accuracy and honesty, it's good for keeping Fencer from getting idle!

Dryznik: Ghosts vs Active players.

Rose: Exactly.

Eriisa: They could be made a seperate class of User. They wouldn't appear on any lists of live Users. On games that they've played their profile link (if they even have one) could refer either to a Deleted User page which covers them all or to an Archived User page which retains some or all of the original information.

So a "purge" of this sort needn't affect any ratings or histories or anything. I think it would be welcomed by many people. It might severely impact on Fencer's project time, though.

Doing this could also free up a lot of names that people might like to use.

Fencer: Have I been that naughty as well?! I'd roll a double, move two men and then click to move the third move - and get logged out!

plaintiger: Suggestion:

If a double is offered then the opponent must decide whether to accept it or reject it. Accepting will multiply the cube value by two and the game continues. For example, if the cube is at 2 and a double is offered then accepting will cause it to go to 4. Rejecting the offer will resign the game and the winner will gain the number of points on the cube at the time that it was offered. Using the same example, the winner will gain 2 points. Gammons and backgammons are not relevant when a cube offer is declined.

Maybe? For opening up the Welsh market? Should be life membership!

frolind: I've got google ads blocked. I'd tell you how but you've got me blocked! Lol.