In article .com,
says...

Mr. Sloan:

I never played anyone with a 2300 elo rating in my life who wasn't
a tough player, and I've played dozens of them. It doesn't really
matter how you get the rating, you have to play at a certain level to
get it. An argument could be made that Mr. Bauer was probably
underrated, because there are not so many rating points floating around
in the midwest as on the two coasts.

I would bet on the slightly rusty Mr. Bauer to win a match with
you, even if any draws were scored 1-0 in your favor. In fact, I would
bet a lot of money on such a match, if I could find any takers. I
don't think this match would be nearly as close as you seem to believe.

I think "slightly rusty" is about right, but I've been far from inactive. I
still regularly play speed chess with a couple of experts and a master.
Interestingly, the event Sloan talks about being my last "tournament" was a
social picnic at a chess club I belong to, was a 5 minute tournament, and the
"1988 player" Sloan mentions is Pete Karanganis, a rising young player with a
2180 rating.

I also regularly read and review chess books, which gives me plenty of
opportunity to analyze and stay current on openings and analysis. I'm very much
ready to play a class A player in a match -- when I was active, I ate class A
players for breakfast.

Randy Bauer