Heh. Yeah - IMO, starting right next to Boron is what ought to be outlawed.
Sure, most of the time I manage to whack him severely (or at least to hang on for 30 or 40 turns while he sits on my capitol
) when he rushes at me, but in the meantime the casualties I take remove me from possibility of being a contender. Not to mention that nowadays, whenever I start next to him I have to prepare myself for his onslaught, slowing down my general expansion.