There are a couple of other way(s) to go about it, too, that I forgot to mention. Once, an opponent's last comment in a game vs. me was that I was too strong for him, so henceforth I have not accepted any of his open invites (though he could pick up any of mine later if he wished).
On another occasion an opponent just wrote that he needed a break from our matches, before resigning a game - again I have not accepted any of his open invites, though he may choose to accept one or more of mine later.
Yet another way that might be effective is to end a game by commenting something like 'let's not play again until [e.g. March, of 2024] at least, I need a break from our matches'.
If all else fails, you might issue only (or some) Personal Invitations, at least for a while. Some can be played privately, I understand, if you don't wish to give any hint of an impression that you might be avoiding certain player(s).
There are a couple of other way(s) to go about it, too, that I forgot to mention. Once, an opponent's last comment in a game vs. me was that I was too strong for him, so henceforth I have not accepted any of his open invites (though he could pick up any of mine later if he wished).
On another occasion an opponent just wrote that he needed a break from our matches, before resigning a game - again I have not accepted any of his open invites, though he may choose to accept one or more of mine later.
Yet another way that might be effective is to end a game by commenting something like 'let's not play again until [e.g. March, of 2024] at least, I need a break from our matches'.
If all else fails, you might issue only (or some) Personal Invitations, at least for a while. Some can be played privately, I understand, if you don't wish to give any hint of an impression that you might be avoiding certain player(s).