0183 - Before anybody comes charging at me, this is NOT a personal attack on Tom, and NOT a personal attack on Leland.  This is nothing more than simple facts, and until EVERYONE is willing to accept the hard facts, and that NOBODY is 100% right, this arguing is going to continue, and North Carolina will continue to drop in attendance.   I think it is time that I inject my thoughts (which I had been keeping to myself for quite a while) about this issue with conflicting tournaments in North Carolina along with Leland's arguments.   First of all, I agree with Leland in the sense that Asheboro should not have run a tournament on July 15th as it is in the 100-mile clause.  If the hotel conflicted with the other dates, oh well.  Things happen, occasionally one must give in occasionally. Secondly, Tom's assessment that his tourney had no conflict because there were no Charlotte players is baloney.  I have attended Asheville 3 times thus far in 2006 (the others were because I couldn't make it, or in the case of July, because it "conflicted" with Charlotte.)  With it on a different date, instead of getting 8 in Charlotte, and however many you had in Asheboro, perhaps some of your Asheboro players would have come to Charlotte and boost us up to 12, and a few of us might have been in Asheboro boosting your attendance by 4 players or so.   HOWEVER, I must also side in many cases with Tom.  First of all, I have been to ALL FOUR of the previous Bertucci's, and NONE of them started at 10:00.  There was even one where Leland BARELY showed up before 10:30, and if it hadn't started before 10:30, Laura Lee and the 2 others that her mother taxied to the tournment would not have played, and would have lowered us from 11 to 8.  Also, Leland left after round 1, and with him having me take over, I said I would only do it if he forced round 2 to start at a certain time, and I had to push that upon him 5 times to enforce it.  He wasn't in town this past Bertucci's, and I he had me run it.  I didn't start it at 10am, but that wasn't because I didn't show up on time.  I showed up at 9:45.  I would have enforced a 10:00 start had it not been for a major accident near the site that anyone taking the interstate would have to take.  Legit reason for a delay.  However, I announced a round 2 time of 1:20pm before round 1 even started, and enforced the round 2 start time (a MAJOR PET PEEVE I have about Bertucci's).  Therefore, Leland's statement about starting at 10am all 4 times is bogus, and he's even worse with round 2.  I also love how a number of players have complained (I myself don't care as I stay up late anyway) about how he never starts on Wednesday night at 7:30 as advertised, and now he's down to about 16 to 18 players a week (probably the 16-18 players that don't mind the late start), and he wonders why.  The late start isn't the only reason, but one of them I'm sure.   Another item I don't agree with is the approach Leland takes when he doesn't agree with somebody.  Quit being so abrasive.  Do you not know how to talk to people without having such an attitude?  Even I've been attacked at times I shouldn't have.  Need an example???  Around the time you suspended me a month, Joe Shirlen asked me whether I'd recommend a book on the King's Indian that I had by John Nunn, and I mentioned that I wouldn't recommend the book I had for someone that is below 1800, that if he has interest in that opening, that I recommended a different book on the King's Indian.  You came to me the following week and stormed at me for making such a suggestion, when it was simply the truth, and I was seriously trying to help.  However, you trusted the moron rather than me, and only recently did you realize that the culprit was him, and you finally kicked him out of the club (THANK GOD).   I have mentioned one other thing to Leland before (I believe it was when we were discussing available Saturdays for 2005 back in late 2004, if not, it was in late 2003 talking about 2004), and I would like to mention this to ALL of the central areas of North Carolina (Charlotte, Asheboro, Greensboro, etc.)  What is wrong with the first or last Saturday of any month????   Occasionally, there is a large tourney, or a holiday around then, but often times, there's just simply no chess what-so-ever.  Let's look at 2006 (which I can only recall from May to now):   Weekend of May 6-7, NOTHING Weekend of September 30 - October 1st, NOTHING Weekend of October 28-29, One-day tourney in Timbucktu Weekend of November 4-5, NOTHING Weekend of November 25-26, NOTHING (Thanksgiving weekend, understandable) Weekend of December 2-3, NOTHING   Occasionally, Tom Hales has taken the first Saturday of the month, but I think more people need to exercise this approach of taking the first or last Saturday.  It's been a continuous log-jam middle of every month, and dead at both ends.   Do I want the CCC to die?  NO!  Do I want Bertucci's to die?  NO! (though relocation to a quieter player, like a hotel like Tom does with NEAR BY restaurants would be better than a restaurant itself).  Do I want Asheville to die?  NO!  I'm like Kortchnoi, Chess is my life!   However, my grade for North Carolina organizers and TD's, C- (and that's being lenient).   Patrick ************************************************ To my Loyal Assistant Patrick McCartney: Regarding Bertucci's, of course we have to take the entry fees and do the pairings, but each event started promptly, and the food's great! (Mr. Hales is accurate in observing that chess players are cheap!? and would probably prefer a "Big Mac" to superior, slightly more expensive cuisine!?) As for the rest of your banter, I'm concerned that you are beginning to overstep the boundries of the rules forbidding personal attacks on this Message Board..? In the future, please attempt to explain yourself in a more friendly fashion. Accordingly, statements such as "Have you considered professional help!?" or "Dude, Get a life!?" will be strictly forbidden from this Message Board. LF Ps. My grade for your ability to make friends and influence people , D- (and that's being lenient).