| General Chess Discussion - Is the Stonewall Defense lost as Black?#2 It is not lost, but this particular setup has been known to be problematic for black for some time. The best version of the Stonewall is when white's bishop on c1 is more passive, meaning you should w… | merillium |
| General Chess Discussion - Why Grandmasters don't play the italian opening?#12 The really old main line of the Italian Game, 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 is no longer played because black equalizes relatively easily after 5... exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 (7. Bd2 B… | merillium |
| General Chess Discussion - Not sure which USCF section to join for upcoming tourney#11 I think it's important to not go in a section that is too far above your strength. You might not learn anything from your losses because you don't yet have the knowledge to understand where you went w… | merillium |
| General Chess Discussion - Not sure which USCF section to join for upcoming tourney#4 Play in whichever section you think you your rating should be. If you think you are rated under 1000, then play in the under 1000 section and don't worry about your rating. As you improve, your rating… | merillium |
| General Chess Discussion - Cute miniatures #2 Nice games, especially the Ruy Lopez exchange variation game you played, which is slightly reminiscent of the famous Fischer - Spassky game in their 1992 rematch. Here are two recent games of mine whi… | merillium |
| General Chess Discussion - Donator user cheated?#5 @RandomBean Average centipawn loss is really not conclusive by itself. I am an expert level player, though not a master, but if I am having a good day or if my opponent is playing badly and I punish t… | merillium |