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Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 4:23 pm
by Ernie Lazenby
The latest post on the Giddins blog is a disgrace. To attack someone in the manner he has shows what a hateful malcontent individual he is. I am Bi-Polar and have suffered some hurtful comments because of it and I don't like to see anyone else's health being brought up to add ridicule to a post.

Justin has views as we all do however he should not to be subjected to the kind of attack Giddins has resorted to.

Giddins is an educated disgrace to chess and ought to remember one day he may find himself unwell.

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 4:49 pm
by AustinElliott
Bringing up someone's health history as a way of ridiculing them is thoroughly despicable.

BTW, speaking as a keen student of libel laws (though not a lawyer, I hasten to add), I can see at least one phrase in that post that I would describe as 'potentially actionable'.

Perhaps someone will point that out to the author and the post will disappear..?

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 4:56 pm
by Ernie Lazenby
Just in case Mr Giddins does remove it I have copied it in total.

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 5:17 pm
by Geoff Chandler
That is a sudden low shot. Usually when people resort to that tactic
then you just know they are being rankled and they have lost the plot.

And trying to make merry with the fact that someone mis-quoted Shakespeare
(a dead guy who wrote some plays) is scraping the bottom of the barrel.
A case of Blog snobbery.

Me thinks he should stick to peddling that chess book on endgames wrote he.

Right I'm off to pan said book in my Blog without even reading it.
Well it's the only way I can review it. I'll never read the thing.

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 5:50 pm
by Michael Jones
The "dead guy who wrote some plays" was actually quite noted for his way with words; I'm sure we could find a few of them to describe Giddins. How about this for a start?
William Shakespeare wrote:When he is best, he is a little worse than a man, and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast
(The Merchant of Venice, Act I, Scene II)

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 6:18 pm
by John McKenna
Don't let 'Gidders' get your goat...
He represents a vested (waistcoats included) interest of the patrician strain.
To compare great things with small (Milton - Paradise Lost) - Blair used Alistair Campbell but he's too tall. Cameron employed Andy Coulson, not creepy enough. In my book that leaves only Ian Hislop and he's too intelligent.
I give up.

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 6:22 pm
by Ernie Lazenby
Its increaingly obvious that Mr Giddins and Mr keene are friends, says it all does it not. Resorting to 'gutter type' comments to make a point. There are a great many University educated intelligent people whose contribution to public life is very welcome- there are others whose contributions can best be described as ........... no I wont get into the gutter with them and thus will retain my dignity.

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 6:34 pm
by JustinHorton
I'd leave him to it, to be honest. The only person to whom he brings discredit is himself.

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 6:37 pm
by J T Melsom
I have never met Steve Giddins so can only draw conclusions from his words. I have no doubt he is erudite, but am unsure that the expressions of cleverness are really all that clever. He reminds me of a playground bully, keen to lash out, but - by refusing to accept comments on his blog - unable to accept direct challenge in return. Perhaps he gets a kick out of it, because I don't see how he advances the future of chess in the Uk or elsewhere one iota. But then again I lack an Oxbridge education and contribute as a unpaidvolunteer to chess, so I'm probably ill suited to sneering from the sidelines.

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:00 pm
by James Byrne
...

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:07 pm
by J T Melsom
James - I suggest you use a search engine to seek it out. Most of us would rather not give him any further time/publicity.

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:28 pm
by Trefor Owens
I have met Mr Giddins a couple of times, as we both belong to Kent clubs. In 'real life' he comes across as a friendly and decent chap, in fact he is a good friend with one of my club colleagues for whom I have nothing but the deepest respect, both as a chess player and a person, so I am sure that Mr Giddins has many good points ( he is a fine player and chess author too).

As with so many battles, I wouldn't be surprised if the truth is to be found somewhere in the middlegame.

anyway the link to his blog for those wanting to make up their own mind

http://stevegiddinschessblog.wordpress.com/

Cheers
Trefor

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:40 pm
by IanDavis
Poor Gibbons.

I find his blog rather unoriginal and childish in its attacks. The quality is pretty GCSE. I mean, how can you comment on the mistakes that one man has made in his post in an internet forum, while simultaneously showing the world that you are incapable of correctly linking to an url, and expect others to take you seriously?

Try harder.

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 8:22 pm
by Roger de Coverly
He came off worse in an encounter with an Aussie IM

Here's the link http://www.doubleroo.blogspot.com/2011/ ... aider.html

and Gidders "I resign" reply
I think the point I was trying to make is fairly obvious, but if it's not, I don't feel inclined to waste any further time repeating it. Like any good chessplayer, I know a lost position when I see one and I resign. I have taken down my blog and will not be engaging in any further punditry on matters in the chess world. If even a voice of intelligence and reason like yourself cannot see the seriousness of what happened in NZ, then there is no hope for chess. Have a good life, all of you, but it's not a life I want any part of.

Re: Giddiness is a sad malcontent who is a disgrace to chess

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 9:32 pm
by Ernie Lazenby
I have been the subject of Mr Giddin's acerbic pen but that is something I brush aside as a consequence of being active on this forum. There is however a line that ought not to be crossed and that is a direct reference to a persons mental health problems (indeed any health problem ought not to be raised). That is the reason I posted my original message. It's a bit sad given the national campaign to make the general public more aware and ask for tolerance of people who suffer some kind of mental health problems as many do. Giddins made matters worse by referring to a problem from some years ago.

I am sure that even Mr Giddins will reflect upon his comments and realise that they are offensive and serve no purpose other than to further taint his character.