TalkChess.com

I vote 1.

I never read or write in CTF. But I don't see why people not active there should get to close it. It's not visible to non-members, and if you are not interested, do like me, don't read it.

The only spill-offs I have seen have been from some people who complain that dictatorial management is allowing too much freedom there by not censoring viewpoints they (the complainers) don't like. Now those seem to prefer even having CTF closed down than allowing it to exist with opinions they don't like. Trying to use "democracy" arguments to have a majority crushing a minority is disgusting.

2. CTF should be closed

I vote for 1.

I never read or post anything in CTF, it's existence doesn't bother me either, so I vote 1

4. The unposed question. Implement the CTF four year delayed moderator Election specifically needed as two of three original moderators had quit leaving only the admin, as proposed by Daniel Shawul, four months ago, engine programmer, who also offered himself as mod, (rejected on basis alleged problems with member list, detection dupe accounts, vote stuffing accounts and broken polling system) and as proposed again by Ed Schroeder, engine programmer, using verifiable PM voting of identifiable “active accounts” several days ago (also apparently rejected).

If 4. “Try democracy” fails to self-correct the forum, then closure is an obvious final resort, but closure now (2) would be premature. My 2c.

2. CTF should be closed

2. CTF should be closed

2. CTF should be closed

I don't give a damn, really. I don't read that forum because I think it's toxic. But it's been there forever so I say leave it alone or go option 3.

I'll say this, though: A so-called "Chess Thinkers Forum" seems to me an incongruous adjunct to a site devoted to an arcane hobby. I remember Steve Schwartz saying he wanted to keep the forum because he wanted to support free speech. Well, most of us do, but that doesn't mean political opinions and assorted effusions of bile are appropriate everywhere people gather to converse.

2. CTF should be closed.