what is a troll?

I see this term being used in forums that "he is a troll" or "it is a troll don't respond." or he is "trolling"

why do you chess players keep calling each other mythical names....is it a form of a compliment?

If someone calls you a gnome or a dwarf is that a better compliment?

a troll isn't something related to chess and it isn't a compliment.

One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument

A troil ias an individual=mystic= that lived in Ireland many centuies ago.

I think it means different things to different people, but its not a compliment, quite the opposite.

A troll is somebody like you who tries to sound serious whilst he asks questions to which he knows the answer and who tries to make fun of other guys. There is a difference between good and bad trolls, a good troll for example is user Kaynight or user Macer. They are both good trolls because they arent annoying and they are at least funny. There are also bad trolls like you who seriously ask others what a troll is while you are a troll yourself...

Damn! I came too late!

No, Kaynight and Macer are not trolls. Merely the opposite: Comedians.

Users Kaynight and Macer have a sense of humor and use it for other's goodness.

Trolls, on the other hand, use funniness to entertain themselves.

Think of it this way: Comediains are GOOD because they don't keep their entertainment for themselves, but spread it around, right?

But, trolls use entertainment an keep it for themselves.

A good example of a troll is someone who asks a question unrelated to chess on a chess forum...

I think bad trolls have the intention of hurting others and a bad troll lack human empathy or like the idea that the person that reads the message get in bad mood or burst into tears.

on the other hand no harm is done by having to write reply to something some might know already.

we need another word for the good trolls and non harmful trolls. they aren't what the word is intended for.

@Maybe_Player: Are you sure you know the definition of a troll? Macer is of course not a troll, thats the reason why is the leader of the group "Eglatarian Troll Society" and won many prices for being the best troll on this site. Kaynight is also a member of this group. As I said, there are some good and funny trolls and some annoying ones. Both guys are definetely good and funny ones!

Best troll on site?  Must be some terrible trolls here lol.

I think Maybe player is right.  It's just the definition of "troll" is so broad now.  It nearly means anyone I don't like at the moment, or anyone who disagreed with me.

What happened to the ETS? Just when I thought I had the qualifications to join, it disbanded!

lol the price for what? :D

This could be a troll

I am a troll. I live in a cave.

A lot of people would argue that that distinction is precisely the reason why I am a troll.

The term has nothing to do with mythology and everything to do with fishing.  It's similar to "baiting."

For specifics please refer to this article:

http://www.fishingwithpiotr.com/fishing-basics/trolling-101/

I am a gnome

Hello.

Not exactly... I managed to host 2 cycles of the Troll of the Month tournaments before the staff shut it down, and I didn't win in either of them.