10:35 p.m., Monday the 22nd
So Chess.com has many possible computer "personas" you can play against. Each persona has its own unique playing style. My last six computer games have been played against a level-1200 persona by the name of "xQc." I won the first game playing as white, lost the second game playing as black (see
https://polyamory.com/threads/kevins-hetero-mfm-poly-fi-v.68427/post-474951 ...), won the third playing as white (see
https://polyamory.com/threads/kevins-hetero-mfm-poly-fi-v.68427/post-474991 ...), lost the fourth as black (see
https://polyamory.com/threads/kevins-hetero-mfm-poly-fi-v.68427/post-475012 ...), won the fifth yesterday as white, then finally today, won the sixth as black ... barely.
Gods know winning feels better than losing, but this had to be the suckiest game of Chess I ever won. Really bloody messy. I made a number of bad mistakes, losing at least two three-point pieces (knight/bishop) with no compensation in the process.
Having won this one game playing as black, I'll "graduate" to the "next" persona on my next game (probably tomorrow). But can I just say, this demonstrates how which color (black or white) one plays as, does matter ... especially when playing against xQc! He's quite a forgiving opponent when he's the black pieces, but when he's the white pieces, watch the fuck out! He really takes advantage of that initiative at the start of the game, and like a bunch of dominoes, that initial advantage topples the first domino, then spoils one's material, position, and composure for the rest of the game.
If I lose playing the next persona, I'll then downgrade my next game after that to, back to playing against xQc. Technically I guess playing another game as black against xQc would be a valuable learning experience, but it's one I'd rather not have. I hope I can win some computer games, and put a "buffer" between me and xQc. Although I have to say, I feel like I don't want to graduate all the way to a level-1300 opponent. 1200 is hard enough, thanks.
That's all I have to tell you for today.