Grim Reaper: I checked, and you are listed as the inventor in the game rules, your due. Before you say that, ipse idem, the game summary is the same as the rules, think about this: one cannot, by definition, learn to play a game as complex as Gothic Chess by reading a 2 sentence blurb, therefore, ipso facto, the summary is independent from the rules. Ipso facto looks a tad more important than the semantics of ipse idem. Everyone on the site, upon reading the rules, knows you are the inventor of Gothic Chess. Why not be happy with that?

Fencer: or deleted. There is no sense in having a rule that cannot be enforced.

Sumerian: I have no suggestion, since it is unfair to single you out. Besides, even if you say you are using a program, no one can prove it so I think any talk of violating the user agreement is spurious and I support you in this regard. If you need a low 2100 ELO rated chess player to help you play test, I will do so gladly.

sLaMdAnCe: I'm sure he and a lot of others use progs to "playtest" their ideas.

Sumerian: I have nothing against you testing your program here, I admire all acts of creation. I also am aware that Trice invited you to his cash prize tournament. I also know you are the sole programmer and smirf is truly yours. However, using it to compete against humans in a cash tournament definitely is not the same as playing yourself even though you yourself designed it...the simple reason..the program is good enough not to make serious blunders, hang a queen, pawn bishop or whatever other vagaries enter our games when we are tired or drunk or otherwise ill-disposed. It makes no "obviously bad" moves as I know I do on occasion. Having said that, I am sure since it is a cash prize tourney, others will be using programs for an edge. But I just wanted you to know that was one reason I was not interested in entering the tournament, because I did not come here to play machines. Good luck, I will be interested to see if you win.

also, I might add, that she has no idea what the word public means. If you think that being in a public park allows you to strip off all your clothes and run naked through just because it's "public", then you clearly just don't get it. Public means, both for BK and for parks etc., that anyone is allowed in, so long as they follow PUBLIC RULES as well. It's such a simple concept. This is not the land of do-as-you-please, public or private. Every place on this planet has rules, so I guess according to you, there are no public places on Earth?

EIHN, your post just goes to show you can't make everyone happy. Yes, people get censored and deleted here. Lots. The simple reason is that the discussion boards are popular and people express themselves a lot. One reason is that one of the most active members is a 9-year old girl who frequents the discussion boards. There are, however, private boards with no censorship WHATSOEVER. I have seen mods themselves have their posts deleted, so it doesn't appear that they are violating their own rules by showing preferential treatment to each other. And about song lyrics, it's certainly a grey issue. Whatever a US board of justice may have said is totally irrevelant in practical terms to this non-US site. If you start your own fellowship, you can pretty much post anything you want on there. So it is not arbitrary, as you put it, because ALL members are not allowed to post lyrics on the board you're referring to. Arbitrary implies that only certain members, without rhyme or reason, are being discriminated against. I do not see this happening. As a game site, song lyrics is your biggest beef?

I didn't pay for my own membership either. But after reading your post I guess you really can look a gift horse in the mouth!

No one's destroyed your civil rights or freedom. You have the freedom to leave. Private establishments can temporarily suspend certain civil rights, such as discrimination, as Hooters proved by winning their case against having to hire men as waiters/waitresses. But again, that has nothing to do with this site. It's Fencer's site, and he can do as he please. And I think he's done a great job.

1) 12 2) 40 3) Be3 solution given on Jan. 23

1) 8 2) 40 3) as below

ok, I am reposting:
1) 4 2) 40 3) Be3..etc solution given below.

Chessmaster1000: very good point, I forgot about 0-0-0! But what about the second solution I listed, you didn't mention if it was right:

1 Be3 Qa5 2.b4 Bxb4 and white can't take back with axb4 but now I see the forced win too, which is pretty: 3. Bxf7!! now if Ke7 or Kf8 or 0-0-0, 4. axb4 wins the Q or B next move, if Kxf7, 4. Qf3 Bf5 5. axb4 wins in the same fashion a move later, and if 3..Bxf7 we get the same theme with 4. Qf3 Of course 4..Nd7 allows the R to take N and 4..Ng8 or Nh7 allow the win with 5. axb4 where white wins Q or B next move (6).

BerniceC: I think he meant that the maharajahs were all the same, but if you, for example, "tagged" each one, you could switch the pieces around without disturbing the actual coordinates in the solution(s). From what I know, CM1000 is a math genius, and some of the mathematical proofs he posted on the Goth board were way over my head. Also, for most chess problems the convention is usually that if the problemist writes "white to win in 6" it usually carries the implication "white to win in 6 or less" but I'm not judge or jury here, I'll stop cluttering up Fencer's nice board. Nice little contest though, very stimulating.

I didn't want to modify my answer because it might change the time stamp, but I meant to write in for Q3)
"Originally I thought [you couldn't play 1. Be3] because of ...."

It just means 1. Be3 works too, but it is a longer solution than 1. Bb5.

i wasn't sure if CM1000 wanted 6 exactly. I hope I get bonus marks for paring it down!

ok, here it is:
q1) 4 but 132 if all maharajahs are considered unique.

q2) 40 by placing all on squares of one color.

q3) I have two answers, one is nicer than the other, but both are less than 6 moves.

1. Bb5 black plays either c6 which allows 2. Be3 Qe5 3. Bd4 and white captures the Q or N next move due to the skewer. Or: 1. Bb5 Kf8 2. Be3 Qe5 and the game ends the same way.

Originally I thought because of 1..Qa5 2.b4 Bxb4 and white can't take back with axb4 but now I see the forced win too, which is pretty: 3. Bxf7!! now if Ke7 or Kf8, 4. axb4 wins the Q or B next move, if Kxf7, 4. Qf3 Bf5 5. axb4 wins in the same fashion a move later, and if 3..Bxf7 we get the same theme with 4. Qf3 Of course 4..Nd7 allows the R to take N and 4..Ng8 or Nh7 allow the win with 5. axb4 where white wins Q or B next move.

Fencer, I don't think removing pawns from the ratings listings is good for the site. It diminishes the competitiveness, especially for the fringe games. However, the inactive proposal is excellent and well overdue!

Fencer, when will game time be restored? Are there more bugs than anticipated? :)

I played my first ever loop game with Terry and found him very courageous. I will miss him greatly.

ok, i added the teams..but I can't seem to add them to the tournament. Is there any way to do so or do I have to start a new one?

duh! thanks harley!

Possible bug or my stupidity: i just created a tourney with all games but couldn't seem to add the new ones because they weren't given as an option to be checked. Bug or dumb me?

out of curiosity, is there any way to see the largest tournament ever played on BK? also, if there is, is there a way to sort by game type?

that's interesting...if we included every country's public holiday, i doubt there would be 50 playable games a year? I havae noticed I have 11 days to move in some 7 day tourneys, so I guess that's double weekends being factored in? I don't mind having long limits, but I like to play against people who are passionate not only about the game, but moving quickly too...

i thought that was only me bc I was in Korea..weird..I guess Google (which has NO privacy policy and keeps records of all searches) hasn't invaded our privacy enough to properly target us waiting consumers with ads yet!

I'm getting a red 1 by main page at all times now even though it's not my move in any games..i know this one has been reported before but it appears to have cropped up again..

yes, let me see here: ughaibu has played 300 games of loop, and the top guy has played 4. I think anyone can fluke out in a small sample size, which is one of the reasons I play these games for fun rather than ratings. My 1000 rating in Line4 should be ample evidence of that! I still think GothicInventor's rating is justified, because his sample size extends far beyond the realm of only a BKR.

Caissus, danoschek: the ratings are very front-end biased. It is possible to get an inordinately high rating with only a few games. See TOPGUN's provisional ratings (he refuses to play more than 4 games) as an example. However, I believe GothicInventor deserves that high rating!

belated thanks for the enemies list expl. harley!

just a question..how do you know if someone has put you on their enemies list?

please disregard that post, i understand what has happened now, i just got the messages.

so were all timed out games deleted and not counted? I believe I was winning in both games and deserved to win, but I can understand if they were erased. I just want to confirm?