Hey Everyone,

Well, after five+ years of playing the French (and Caro now and then), I decided to really commit to  1...e5.  I've gotten some good advice from all of you, but in the last two months my rating vs. 1.e4 has dropped 650 points and my rating vs. 1.d4 is down 500 points.  I'm now playing (and getting trashed) by beginners.  I'm sure that my chess development requires that I master these symmetrical openings, but I've lost all interest in chess.  Even when I go back to my favored French, I get destroyed (10 losses last night against the exchange!?).  I don't know if any of you have faced08/30/08 at 02:29:03 this kind of dilemma.  When I first started to play chess I could tell that 1.e4 e5 was incomprehensible.   The complications were beyond my understanding, and that's still the case. But I really feel that I should be able to play these positions to have a strong understanding of chess.  I'm really getting frustrated by losses against lines like 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 and 1.e4 e5 2.a3, etc.  I really don't know how to improve. I'm getting destroyed by horrific white openings.  Can any of you relate?  I've always been reasonably proficient at new hobbies, but I'm being humiliated by chess (which is why I want so badly to improve).

Please help!!
Scott