Grammar in notices

A notice on opponent on vacation tells me "' They ''' have gone on vacation... ETC.

I have only one opponent, officially at any rate,so I suggest that the notice should drop word"''They"" and substitute phrase 

 such as "Having X no. of days but may be back sooner"

If chess.com were to say: "He has gone on vacation" (or "she", as the case may be), it would solve a further chess.com conundrum ... -how-do-u-know-if-a-member-is-a-guy-or-a-girl?  

how-can-i-tell-if-an-opponent-is-really-a-woman?

Hmm... possibily acceptible  where there is no  alternative....

Some people go on about "They" is incorrect and that it should be "He/She." Another way to do it would be "This player," "Your opponent," "Black/White," or even some sort of a code that automatically detects their username and uses that.  It used to be acceptable to use "He" for all neutral things, but this has been considered sexist in American English.  I'd bet that "He/She" is now considered sexist since it puts the man first.  It seems a bit obsurd to me since I can't imagine the majority of women getting angry because of this.  Sometimes "She" is used for the neutral, but for some reason that's not considered sexist.  So to be completely PC, it might really be best to use "They" or some substitute.

Do you have "Ms." in Scotland?  My French teacher said there is a movement in France to remove Mademoiselle and just use Madame, and my German teacher said Frauline isn't common nowdays, so I'm wondering if Ms. has caught on in the UK.

Yes, some people use Ms but some women you ask get confused by it.  I answer a phone all day and its not common but is always best to ask "Miss, Mrs or Ms" as some people get insulted if you dont include the option.

"s/he" is possible

xqsme, your flag says you are in Scotland, assuming that's true (and I have no reason to believe it's not), then perhaps the issue is a difference in grammar between there and here (US). In the US, using "They" in the case you noted is perfectly acceptable.

Thanks furtiveking... the site usually gets it right.Grammar/usage is certainly different in Scotland .

Usage certainly differs between the US and England (and to a lesser extent between Scotland and England). Basic grammar is probably the same in most cases. Anyway, I would think that "they" is fine in this situation and in both countries.

"Your Opponent" is always valid.     

Can we just get a non-gender specific signular pronoun added to the language already?  Might I suggest "shim" or "hse"?

Technically it isn't, but as far as general usage goes it is.

From dictionary.com

Use they in a Sentence 

Origin: 

1150–1200; Middle English < Old Norse their they (replacing Old English hī ( e )); cognate with Old English thā, plural of thæt that

—Usage note 

Long before the use of generic he was condemned as sexist, the pronouns they, their, and them were used in educated speech and in all but the most formal writing to refer to indefinite pronouns and to singular nouns of general personal reference, probably because such nouns are often not felt to be exclusively singular: If anyone calls, tell them I'll be back at six. Everyone began looking for their books at once. Such use is not a recent development, nor is it a mark of ignorance. Shakespeare, Swift, Shelley, Scott, and Dickens, as well as many other English and American writers, have used they and its forms to refer to singular antecedents. Already widespread in the language (though still rejected as ungrammatical by some), this use of they, their, and them is increasing in all but the most conservatively edited American English. This increased use is at least partly impelled by the desire to avoid the sexist implications of he as a pronoun of general reference. 

Howabout "shid" as she+he+it ?

Actually, that begs an interesting question -- why not "it"?  I've encountered some pretty inanimate people in my day.

"id" it is !  Agreed.     

He is correct as a generic pronoun.   In fact he can be used as plural in some case, for instance a consultaion game.  They is not gramaticaly  correct if used   for a singular pronoun.  I think the best soultion is the suggested your opponent.

It should really say "their on vacation."

I think you mean "they're", because "their" is totally wrong.

He is only "correct" in the most formal of venues these days.

It used to be absolutely correct, but, it's really fallen out of favor in most settings (at least in the US.)