GM Davies threatens S&BCC blog with legal actio...

Originally posted by NigelDavies
Apparently not.

http://www.dba-oracle.com/internet_journalism_libel_laws.htm

All that article showed was that there are thousands of different interpretations, laws and loopholes.

I'll write something libelous on my site sometime, link it for you here and then we'll see where it goes, eh?

Originally posted by Crowley
All that article showed was that there are thousands of different interpretations, laws and loopholes.

I'll write something libelous on my site sometime, link it for you here and then we'll see where it goes, eh?

Don't pi$$ him off - some of us are trying to get him to play a few games here.
😉

Originally posted by Mahout
Nigel - there's a lot of people, myself included, who like your work. You've produced some great books and Fritz trainer CD's.

But you seem to have been quite heavy handed in your response to something produced by an amateur website run for free by enthusiasts from a local chess club. The likes of this chess club, replicated throughout the country, are y ld be a treat too ...as it'd be great to have a known GM among our number. Just a thought.

Yeah, well I got upset. And I'm also upset at the way a certain party has been gleefully posting this 'news' all over the show.

My take on this is that the kind of wanton defamation the internet gives rise to is on a par with 'happy slapping'. Does someone ask the happy slappers to kindly desist because it's not nice to offend them? The only reason internet defamation seems more acceptable (apart from the gbh aspect) is that a lot of people indulge in it and the victims tend to be well known. No point defaming Burt Smith from East Ham..

I don't think people will make the decision whether or not to buy books I've authored based on whether I come across as being slightly more 'emotional' than expected. It's probably more important to them that they're good books and not plagiarised from Raymondo or anyone else for that matter. On this front I think my 'heavy handedness' has worked. I'm not that bothered about my reputation for 'niceness' as this doesn't pay the bills.

Originally posted by NigelDavies
Yeah, well I got upset. And I'm also upset at the way a certain party has been gleefully posting this 'news' all over the show.

My take on this is that the kind of wanton defamation the internet gives rise to is on a par with 'happy slapping'. Does someone ask the happy slappers to kindly desist because it's not nice to offend them? The only reason in hat bothered about my reputation for 'niceness' as this doesn't pay the bills.

"I don't think people will make the decision whether or not to buy books I've authored based on whether I come across as being slightly more 'emotional' than expected."

Yes we do. As a GM you walk among the gods. You have scaled heights and fought battles of which we can only dream. Examining one of your games the club secretary, himself a decent player, nods sagely and says: "this is gm chess" as if such moves belong in some hallowed place to which we mere mortals may only act as onlookers.

You made a positive comment about a book in your yahoo group email - Josh Waitzkin "Art of Learning" - and I bought it...you made a Fritz trainer CD about my opening (The Pirc) I bought it.

I don't really want to know if your ballet shoes are pinching or if you get back ache when you've been digging the garden or if your irked by some mere mortal slating your work in a blog. It shatters the illusion. I expect you to be unruffled by by such trifles. Worse than this it even creates the impression that you are being the bully.

I still reckon it's not too late to shrug it off - have a beer with the folks from Straetham next time you're in town and show your self to be the decent human being that I'm sure you are when not being accused of plagiasiummy thingy. Applause all round, good bloke Nigel Davies, played a few games here on RHP finally someone who smashed weyerstrass, thousands watched the game, books flying of the shelves as fast as Amazon can deliver them round the country...neigh round the world. Bills paid.

I would love to see nigel play the leader of the site and maybe finally end his unbeaten run.
But its really up to him if he want to play and also even if he does weyerstrass has to agree to play aswell....
Iv read a few books off nigel aswell and they are good so keep up the good work on the books 🙂.

Andy

Originally posted by NigelDavies
Yeah, well I got upset. And I'm also upset at the way a certain party has been gleefully posting this 'news' all over the show.

My take on this is that the kind of wanton defamation the internet gives rise to is on a par with 'happy slapping'. Does someone ask the happy slappers to kindly desist because it's not nice to offend them? The only reason in ...[text shortened]... hat bothered about my reputation for 'niceness' as this doesn't pay the bills.

I am considering getting your Gambiteer book which covers the Schliemann and Albin (I already play the Schliemann on occasion). One thing I have noticed is that you, in common with a number of other GMs, often write books on openings that you rarely if ever play yourself in serious tournament play. Tony Kosten, for example, wrote not one, but two books on the Latvian, which is an essentially inferior opening, even though some of the lines are a lot of fun. So I am a little bit wary of this sort of thing. On the other hand, I suppose if GMs write on openings they don't normally play, then there's less likelihood of them keeping some of their analysis secret. I would be interested in your thoughts on this.

Originally posted by Northern Lad
I am considering getting your Gambiteer book which covers the Schliemann and Albin (I already play the Schliemann on occasion). One thing I have noticed is that you, in common with a number of other GMs, often write books on openings that you rarely if ever play yourself in serious tournament play. Tony Kosten, for example, wrote not one, but two books ...[text shortened]... of them keeping some of their analysis secret. I would be interested in your thoughts on this.

I've got Nigel's Gambiteer 2 book and I think it's excellent. There is plenty of original analysis, new ideas and suggested improvements for both colours. That gives me confidence that the author has been fair and objective. He hasn't set out to prove that the Schliemann and Albin Counter-Gambit are forced wins for Black!

My previous book on the Schliemann was "Winning with the Schliemann" by Mark Tseitlin, published as far back as 1991. That was a very inspirational, enjoyable book, but completely biased towards Black. I remember once seeing a position in the book in which Black had sacrificed 3 pawns for a temporary initiative, which quickly ended, and Tseitlin assessed the position as being good for Black, who was supposed to have "excellent compensation for the sacrificed material", or words to that effect. I showed the position to a couple of my club mates and we all agreed that Black was 3 pawns down for nothing.

In contract to Tseitlin's work, Nigel's section on the Schliemann seems very solid and trustworthy. He advocates sensible lines for Black, which should be good enough to give him a reasonable position from the opening, even if White is well-prepared. In many of the lines Black is a pawn down, but has genuine compensation for it. Black can often exchange into an endgame and have excellent winning chances because of his two bishops and open lines for his rooks. The Schliemann can be very similar to the Benko Gambit in that respect.

The section on the Albin Counter-Gambit also seems very reasonable, although I have much less experience with that opening. Actually before buying Nigel's book, I had never played the Albin, but it inspired me to try it out in a few games with mixed results. Personally I think the Albin is a far riskier opening than the Schliemann, but it can be great fun to play 🙂

Originally posted by Mahout
I still reckon it's not too late to shrug it off - have a beer with the folks from Straetham next time you're in town and show your self to be the decent human being that I'm sure you are when not being accused of plagiasiummy thingy. Applause all round, good bloke Nigel Davies, played a few games here on RHP finally someone who smashed weyerstrass, thousa ves as fast as Amazon can deliver them round the country...neigh round the world. Bills paid.

FWIW I shouldn't think I'll actually be suing the b"£$£rds. Have a beer with them? Not flaming likely.

While we're on the subject a world boycott of my books might well be the best thing to happen to me - I'd be forced to do something in which I didn't have to suck up to some people from a certain district of S. London.

So Northern Lad, PLEASE DON'T BUY GAMBITEER II.It's obviously rubbish from beginning to end as I haven't played the Schliemann since 1977 or so. DON'T BUY IT, whatever you do DON'T BUY IT.

And look! I'm ranting again!

Just out of interest, how much roughly do you actually see from each sale if the book is sold at RRP of £14:99?

Originally posted by Squelchbelch
Just out of interest, how much roughly do you actually see from each sale if the book is sold at RRP of £14:99?

About £1.

Some authors then spend 20% of this on drinks for various bloggers. 🙄

Originally posted by NigelDavies
About £1.

Some authors then spend 20% of this on drinks for various bloggers. 🙄

Blimey!
I'd have guessed about 25-33% would go to you.
Are the 2 Gambiteer books proving popular sales-wise?

Just to let you know Northern Lad, the Schliemann lines in GM Davies' book run to 90+ pages, covering the 7 most common continuations.

Originally posted by NigelDavies
So Northern Lad, PLEASE DON'T BUY GAMBITEER II.It's obviously rubbish from beginning to end as I haven't played the Schliemann since 1977 or so. DON'T BUY IT, whatever you do DON'T BUY IT.

looks like you read again something completely different from what he wrote.

and once again, it wasn't the 'bastards' of SBCC who accused you of plagiarism, it was some completely unrelated random reader of their blog.

Originally posted by Squelchbelch
Blimey!
I'd have guessed about 25-33% would go to you.
Are the 2 Gambiteer books proving popular sales-wise?

Think they're doing OK.

The breakdown is that the retailer will get anything from 35-60% off the cover price with printing costs probably coming in at around 15-20%. The publisher also has to run his business out of that, plus he takes the risk in actually publishing a few thousand of them.

Needless to say it's not easy to get rich as an author or even a publisher, but a few retailers have done very nicely for themselves.

Originally posted by wormwood
looks like you read again something completely different from what he wrote.

and once again, it wasn't the 'bastards' of SBCC who accused you of plagiarism, it was some completely unrelated random reader of their blog.

I've already detailed my complaints against SBCC. They were the publishers, there's a degree of incitement in their review and then one of their members spread this story far and wide.

B%^%$rds as far as I'm concerned.

Originally posted by NigelDavies
I've already detailed my complaints against SBCC. They were the publishers, there's a degree of incitement in their review and then one of their members spread this story far and wide.

B%^%$rds as far as I'm concerned.

so if I post "david tebb is a hack!" as a comment on your website, tebb should sue you?