A TIMELY THANKS TO MANY OF YOU

Going back in Wednesday to get the right eye fixed this time. In all honesty, I had heard the term cataract surgery over the years, but, I didn't know what it meant! That happens sometimes. What the doctor does is take out your "corroded" born-wth lens and replace it with a brand new, clear one in an operation that is truly amazing (I won't go into the details here). It takes 10 minutes or less.

But, they want you to take eye drops from three different bottles at various times of the day, mortgage your house again, and get a lot of sleep. I have Medicare now, thank God for that. But that other 20%--you can't believe the pile ons! $65 for this, $270 for that, and that is for each eye. There is more, but... I need to sell more chess products.

The Latest Issue of The Chess Reports which is due out Friday will most likely go out tomorrow. And, I am going to do the same thing I did last semester for those who want a good sampling of what The Chess Reports is like:

Tell me you want 3 issues, for $15.00 and I will send the PDFs to you. While this is for semester 10, which runs issues 118-27, I have 118-124 virtually ready to send to your email box. So pick the ones you want. PayPal is fine or credit card too (sorry, no American Express). You don't know which ones to pick? I'll send you 118-119-120. A $21 value for $15.00. Lots of reading plus all the features which TCR has: reviews, annotated games, info on events, letters and many articles of commentary concerning chess. Lots of pictures, diagrams, and color.

Or if you are tired of screwing around, send $69.95 for all 10 issues... and end the guessing.

Contact: bob@thinkerspressinc.com

Hey, thanks!

MORE COMING

I do not post names of potential Chess Clinic attendees unless they have actually paid. I'm funny like that but as you might've figured out, I've been "stuck" a few times. Lots of lazybones talk tough, but it's the ones who deliver that matter to me.

In the meantime I am fine tuning a book, and The Chess Reports for this Friday has been completed.

Am sitting here thinking, "How do I get people to purchase stuff?" Some think that is easy, but it's not. Getting people on lists is first hardest thing to do, selling them something is next hardest. I hear from people who love to read what I send out, but that's it... After a while sometimes guilt takes hold and they ask to unsubscribe.

"The Chess Museum" isn't for everyone, and neither is the chess business. Who wants to deal with everyone? I have enough problems with people who order a couple boxes of stuff to be shipped overseas, and somehow, repeatedly don't answer emails or send the funds. The boxes are still sitting here waiting for the $$$ transfer. If I don't hear from them soon, I will tell you who they are. Famous for this kind of behavior. You might be shocked to find out who it is but they aren't in Germany, or UK. Then they have the gall to want me to purchase stuff from them!

bob@thinkerspressinc.com

PRICE POINTS FOR THE CHESS REPORTS SEMESTER 9

Finally the subscription prices for The Chess Reports are now available. Simply:

a) The Gold Standard: $29.95. A Great bargain. Pretty much the same features as before (although Andrew Martin moves to the Platinum edition), 8-10 pages.

b) The Platinum Edition: $59.95. Everything in the Gold plus "How tos," Andrew Martin, Letters, Editor's Thoughts, and plenty more. 16-18 pages.

The number of pages is slightly malleable. Emailed before Noon every other Friday.

Also, with the Platinum edition, there is a Premium Book, for FREE, Paul Hoffman's King's Gambit, a non-fiction story of being involved in chess and with known chess players. A 400+ page read. It gets sent FREE to anyone who subscribes to the 13 editions of Semester 9, and who orders a book or dvd that has a S&H fee. PLUS, a Big Bonus: if you have a Gold Card you can get the Platinum Edition for only $49.95.

More information is provided in the last issue of Semester 8, issue #104.

Resubscription notices will be sent out to current subscribers first, and potential subscribers next week. Issue #105 will commence on May 14.

Those who want to can resubscribe right now. Soon, news about a Chess Clinic 6.

bob@thinkerspressinc.com

WHAT IS AND ISN'T

On Monday I set the Tuesday column to show at 12:01 a.m. Didn't work; Google set it on Monday at 5:20 p.m.

Wednesday I was so busy that I forgot about writing a column as I was working on The Chess Reports. That is done, am busy creating some ads to help pay for this issue (#99!). TCR will go out tonight as I don't like waiting until the last minute. Always a good practice don't you think?

That's going to happen sometimes: I will be hard at work on one thing, and may forget the Blog. Believe me, there is NO shortage of material. So don't worry.

Here's an asinine business tip when dealing (don't!!!) with Worst Buy. I had received a $25 coupon to use on anything before March something. I was on that side of town and had the coupon with me. I found Seinfeld Season 9, which I didn't have, for $24.99. You know the rest don't you? I was so annoyed that I went back to look to see if there were other DVDs (at least two cheaper ones) totaling $25.98, but there was nothing I wanted. I wanted to head back home but that would waste gas unless the next time doubled as a trip for something else. I bit the bullet and bought a way overpriced candy bar--even though it was a Peter Paul Almond Joy I still felt screwed. When customers feel screwed they don't want to do business again anytime soon. I've already taken my computer business to a small shop run by 3-4 guys. $85/hr vs. $200/hr!

My point? At G&L CHESS I try hard to avoid terms like that (legalese B.S.). When the day comes that I have a web site, things get automated and it gets trickier. If I build the website I hope I can put in some kind of "fuzzy-logic" over ride, but I am not there yet and I wonder if anyone else is.