This one’s a little embarrassing, but I figured it was worth sharing. I blundered my queen pretty cleanly here. In most games, that’s the point where I resign without thinking twice. But I still had some activity and my opponent’s king wasn’t safe, so I decided to just keep playing and see what happened. What surprised me is how often we think nothing worse can happen than losing a queen. In reality, the only truly fatal blunder is mate. And that can still go either way if the game isn’t actually over. I’m not saying “never resign” in every position, but this was a good reminder for me to: - play it out when there’s activity - make the opponent prove the win - stay mentally in the game even after a mistake Curious what everyone else thinks. At what point do you usually decide a position is truly resignable? Do you ever find a win in what should be a dead lost position?

What’s one habit you’re trying to build in your games right now, even if it’s not sticking yet?

Not long-term goals — just the one or two things you’re consciously thinking about in your games lately. For me right now it’s: • trying to keep a good pawn structure • having a plan after the opening Curious what everyone else is focused on.

I have noticed that my results as White and Black aren't even close, and I'm not sure if it's my opening prep, my mindset, or something else. My win percentage with White is about 15% higher than it is for Black. I checked my games and my win rate against 1.e4 is fine, but I have a bad win rate against 1.d4. This surprised me, because I thought my KID was pretty solid. I guess it isn't lol.🤣 If anyone wants to compare patterns or look at stats together, I’m happy to dig into it with you.

What's your favorite opening as black and why?