random progress and ChEsS

so like tibs, reading tim's post prompted me to try and be more active on the forum (until it really is dead - jk). Writing may be what i enjoy, but its usually limited in the format of essays/reports. It'll be challenging to put forward my progress in life, but lets try our best no?

But moving on

So, lately i've been on a downward spiral in terms of uni work. The last jap exam i managed a 1/10 and just 3 days ago 3/10 appeared for my physio (not pretty).

However, solace has been found in what some may call "meh unsurprising" - chess. I've always been interested in the game, though like any good strain of influenza virus, my level of interest in it peaks and dips at different times of the year. I suppose now is what you would call a peak

Started when i received the 1/10 for jap, was playing on yahoo chess when i (who had a ranking of 1530) lost to a guy more than 300 points below me. For those unfamiliar with the ranking system, a drop of just 100 is like a hammer up being paired against a hummingbird. Do i exaggerate? - maybe. It was not pretty nevertheless, i believe the final position ended up something like this:

I am a firm believer in forfeiting before u actually lose, as to deny the smug bastard sitting across from u the joy of actually doing it himself =D.

Still, a loss is a loss - and a bad loss falls even deeper under that category.
A joy which i've recently discovered (which was not made available during the great chess-manic of 2006) was the addition of opening moves on youtube.

The opening i'm currently working on is the hugely successful Sicilian defense (e4 c5) which, according to most grandmasters, is the best opening move against whites usual e5 pawn push as it allows him fair chances (if played right) of equalizing early on. (for those not in the know, white always starts chess first -blame racism- and thus always has a slight advantage over black)

Sicilian Defense: played by black in response to whites e4 push