I'm not drowning in options on the chessboard any more, and we've certainly seen an influx of new players, which is just great.

I'll put together a reflection on the game, as well as all the gifs strung together, when the match is over.

There's been some discussion recently around games of chance and skill like this one, and some accusations made about hosts only paying out to high SP individuals, downvoting criticisms, favouring their own sock puppets, and not addressing legitimate concerns.

Ironically, I'm looking forward to paying out on this.

If you're here for the long term, why wouldn't you want to establish an iron clad reputation for delivering what you promise?
You could start fake account, after fake account, and steal the occasional upvote, like some homeless guy wading around in a wishing well, fishing out pennies, but you'd be missing the big picture.

In the unlikely event I lose this match, I'll have an excellent opportunity to start building a reputation which will serve me for decades. That's worth far more than $250, (which isn't even coming out of my own pocket).

Now, let's see where we go from here.

_

I recently recruited a good friend and colleague. He has a personable, friendly nature, and the chiselled physique of a greek statue.
He's blogging on strength and wellness and absolutely knows his content.

I'll be recruiting and mentoring one meatspace friend each month, and promoting them at the end of each post.