Gammonator: When something like this happens, I always check host-tracker to make sure it is just a local problem, not a BrainKing one. Right now, the average response time (according to that site) is 0.61 seconds and only 2 places show a little higher latency - Thailand and Iran.
In other words, something is wrong on your side. It can be anything - DNS issues, proxy server caching problem, routing problem etc.
Can you post a traceroute output here? Open a command line in Windows and type "tracert brainking.com".
(hide) If you want to find an opponent with similar playing skills to your own look in the Ratings page of the type of game you want and find a player with a similar BKR. (pauloaguia) (show all tips)