I've known mdlm for more than 3 years

[Dynasty]

Munga30's post and link in the 14c- The Newbie Cronicles- some questions on origin, mdlm thread was quite a surprise for me. It identifies mdlm as a friend of mine from Massachusetts. I e-mailed mdlm and confirmed his identity.

As a side note, I'm not sure it's a good idea to identify the real names of posters who don't do it themselves in their user profiles. I hope I'm not compounding a problem for mdlm. But, I thought the revelation was so surprising that I'd share it.

I met mdlm in late 1999 when I was a member (and President) of the Boylston Chess Club in Boston. I believe mdlm had just learned to play chess and definitely was just entering tournament chess play. The two of us were regulars at the BCC over the next year+ at the club's weekend and Thursday night tournaments. There were plenty of times when mdlm and I would be hanging out and talking before, after, and in between games.

One thing I'll always remember about mdlm was an article he wrote for Chess Horizons magazine. In the article, he detailed a study program he devised for himself to improve his chess game. The system was original but also something which I didn't think was a practical approach to studying chess. Regardless, the system worked for mdlm as evidenced by his growth as a chess player and his $10,000 win at the 2001 World Open in Philadelphia.

http://www.worldopen.com/worldopen2001/2000.htm

My knowledge of mdlm's self-study chess program (which I assume is part of his chess book) puts a new light on his efforts for me despite the problems his poker progame has.

[Ed Miller]

Damn... I'm impressed... a rating over 1900 after only a year and a half of playing... and winning at the World Open (which is always full of sandbaggers and hustlers IMO) says that he was significantly better than his rating.

Good luck with your poker training program, mdlm... you obviously have a much more rigorous approach than I do to learning the game.

If you were at the BCC in the late 90s... you probably knew my friend Chris von Krogh from school...

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

I agree with you on the general idea of not revealing the identities of posters. In this case, though, there was so much frustration from the 2+2 community due to his ignoring advice, that being aware his ultimate goal helps us understand his responses.

That being said, until he tests his hypotheses "under fire", he'll never be able to analyze their validity.

[KrackedKings]

Dynasty,

Accomplishments are always hard to ignore.

And to put another spin on this -- in my chess playing days, my mentor (a national master) told me I started playing too early and should have practiced for another 6 monthes before entering tournaments.

On the other hand, mdlm has certainly received a great deal of attention, and that's amusing.

mdlm say, "Gonna do it my way..." -- OK, I said it for him.

Kracked