Such a beautiful rendering.  In my first live game on chess.com, with every move, my opponent insulted me or insulted my gender.  That introduction to computer interfaced chess taught me to completely ignore poor manners and impolite behavior.  Since then, I've meet only the most respectful, most interesting, most honorable chess players on the planet. 

Very well-written 42, it weaves a romantic picture of how chess was played in  a distant past. Bravo..

poor manners should be the only crime

Good article!

I think your contribution is excellent. When I start any game I play, and those who I have played against will testify, I always give a greeting to my opponent, as I think it is essential to be on side with them. In any game we play, we are at one with our opponent, we are drawn into the same world that they are in, with full concentration on a board with 64 squares that has unlimited calculations of moves to be made. I enjoy playing the game with anyone, it such an addictive game. My viewpoint about the game is that winning is good but the more important aspect of it is the friendship and fellowship you have one with the other. It is a tremendous game, a game to be enjoyed by all.

This is some good stuff.  I too find it important to be cordial in my games, with the love of chess deep in my soul, I find it quite annoying when I come accross a player who does'nt share the same values as myself regarding mannerism when on-line.  Personally I treat all my chess games as if I was sitting with a friend because that is exactly what I am doing when I play with you....It is almost sad to not be able to meet some of the wonderfull people whom I play chess with,  Thank you all for lifting my spirits today...Glenn

What a nice contribution form 42...! It conjures up wondeful images.  We live in changing  andchallenging times, but at least your opponent can't  "run you through" or order 50 lashes if you dare to beat him, or even have you "keel hauled"!  And when the rate of change inevitably slows dow, maybe those other values (the mannerly ones I mean!) will have time to catch up! Incidentally, my own introduction to chess was  as a 17 year old deck apprentice on board a deep sea merchant vessel en route to the Fiji Islands from Dublin.  Well done 4268N8703W. Thank you sir.....

 

 

 

 

What a superb, blog (I hate that word, superb and BLOG are almost an oxymoron in my eyes). I totally agree with Bob, I always say 'hi' or 'good luck' and I suppose we are just more civilised than some other people. Maybe common decency just isn't particularly common. On the plus side, I have had some great conversations on this site where the chess has almost become incidental. I know that is not the point of the site, but it is something I enjoy about it.

Manners are the thing we can all improve, even if we can't improve our game. When I start a game, I usually type in Hi, or Hello, especially if it my first with that player, I am not particularly trying to start a whole conversation, I realise some people like a quiet game where they can think, but too often that Hello sits staring at me all through the game, with no reply, and is eventually joined by my next input "thank you for the game" after 10, 20 or even 30 days. It can be a sad world.

I wholeheartedly agree, but I think the Internet has changed our whole decorum far beyond the chessboard.  We no longer have to deal with the consequences of our lousy manners.  It's a shame, but I guess we all learn to adapt the best we can.