NOTICE: This will be my last post until September. My family and I are moving to San Antonio, Texas, and I will have intermittent internet (and chess) access. Once on the ground and settled, I will begin the process of joining the Texas Chess Association and the San Antonio Chess Club. OMChess.com will resume normal operations in mid-to-late September.

This past weekend afforded me the opportunity to sit down across the board for the first time with a former tournament player. My brother-in-law Scott and I played two quick games during a family visit and suffice to say that I was more than a little unprepared for what was coming my way. I lost both games, but gained some valuable insight into opening theory and learned a few things that should help me in my quest to improve my skill set and my rating.

We played the second game immediately after the first. This time, Scott revealed an opening secret of his to me, which allowed us to play a more classical game than the first.