You can block them out of your threads and delete their comments.
No, I think blocking is cowardly.
Then you are choosing to NOT use one of the tools Chess.com provides for you to manage the content of your own threads. Seems similar to complaining about the police and society in general when you refuse to lock your front door and your house is robbed.
I tend to see this quite differently. Personally, I feel no one should "own" a thread and once posted it should be communal property, not personal property. Following that same reasoning,, blocking someone from posting in a thread shouldn't even be possible, let alone desirable.
I don't see blocking necessarily as cowardly, though it can be, but as potentially anti-intellectual as it allows someone to squelch dissenting opinions or even perspectives. Getting rid or perceived trolls should fall on the moderators who are advancing the vision of the site, not on individual members who are advancing there own desires or agendas.
This is a great point Batgirl, thanks for sharing and I am in total agreement. It's good to have serious posters like you on the site. You actually give Chess, and the forums the respect they deserve. I haven't commented much on your posts, but I do read them. I have to say they're extremely interesting, keep up the good work!
OMG.
Woah what happened here?