Chess.com has been zapping political/religious topics since the site began. It's not censorship that is causing the perceived decline in the forums. It's the people who post in the forums.
Incidenlly, https://www.chess.com/groups/home/open-discussion is available to discuss just about any topic and has been functional since 2008.
Forums are for many different topics, obviously on a chess website there will be LOTS of chess threads. Overall though, no matter which genre of website a forum nests in, forums are generally most useful for being as nutty as possible. And yes, chess.com has become a little more straight laced and MUCH less 'fun' over the last year or so.
I am too busy training for Rio to worry about the forums here ...
Is that video snippet a metaphor for the Grob? ;)
Hmmm...maybe not, he seems to be falling off to the queenside.
Ok, it's a metaphor for the Wing Gambit then...
Chess.com advertises: "We are social". People should be able to discuss what they like within reason.
People can discuss whatever they want within the stated guidelines.
I just looked. There's only 15,000 people online,and 20,000 live. In the middle of a busy holiday weekend. That's not very good.
For the US a busy holiday weekend where a lot of people are spending time outside with friends and family. It is early morning and the beginning of a work week for a lot of others.
Are Sunday afternoons/evenings usually very busy in the forums?
1.lotta people realized OPEN DISCUSSION ALLOWS almost total freedom and migrate towards that group
2. lotta people realize bunicula is not yet banned and deserted threads
easy
1.lotta people realized OPEN DISCUSSION ALLOWS almost total freedom and migrate towards that group
2. lotta people realize bunicula is not yet banned and deserted threads
easy
lotta people name & shame ...
who are these people from lotta?
Well yes the forums do have their ups and downs, depending what thread any one of our " Genius " members starts up at any one time. On the Chess side how many threads about Fischer can we handle ? ( Or who is the Best Player etc etc ? ). As for the Off Topic forum you never know what you will find there lol.
Having said that I ask what are YOU going to do to start up some interesting new threads Hmmmm ???
I, for one, started a smart and literate discussion on books.
Thank you.
I'm pretty sure this thread wil get locked up or deleted, just wait for it.
The mods are busy.
STAFF TOO. 
Chess.com advertises: "We are social". People should be able to discuss what they like within reason.