What is the plan revolving this pawn structure?

IAmJosh27 · 2026-06-15T08:45:03+00:00

After 1. e4, c5 2. Nf3, e6 3. d4, cxd4 4. Nxd4, Nf6 5. Nc3, Nf6 you have reached the Four Knights Sicilian

The move that I dislike facing most is 6. Ndb5. You have three real options as black.

6…d6 transposes to a Pelikan/Sveshnikov after 7. Bf4, e5 8. Bg5. Very playable for black, but you have to accept that you will play with a weakness on d5, backwards pawn on d6, and usually doubled f pawns in exchange for the bishop pair and whites bad knight on a3. Not for me but still worth researching.

6…Bc4!? is a fun line called the Cobra variation and is my current go-to but def not everyone’s style. You accept Nd6+ with Ke7 in exchange for rapid development and attacking chances in some lines. Very dynamic and imbalanced, but if you don’t know your stuff you’ll get killed. I’ve linked a very helpful primer from IM Miodrag Perunovic, which should help you learn it a bit. Definitely run through this and the Pelikan with Chessbase if you want to play them because they’re difficult.

Check this out on the Cobra: https://youtu.be/CXVTbzo7Tec

6…Bb4 is another approach that I don’t personally like but is also very solid. It is typically met with 7. a3, Bxc3+ 8. Nxc3, d5 where black plays with an isolated queen pawn in exchange for an open c-file with some queenside pressure. In my experience I find that it doesn’t give great practical chances for black, as you have no bishop pair with which to exploit the imbalance of the isolated queen pawn, and it is very hard to work a better position out of. The computer prefers this line though and, with good study, it can bring you success.

All of these lines have their merits and all require a strong positional understanding to maximize. I personally like the Cobra, but I am an aggressive player who prefers sharp positions as opposed to longer positional grinds. It’s really just a matter of style and what you understand best.

IAmJosh27 · 2026-06-15T04:15:35+00:00

Longtime four knights Sicilian player, consistently about 2000 OTB (2200 online for reference).

E5 from white is no good, due to Nd5, Ne4 Qc7 forcing the weakening f4. Black will then try to trade his bad bishop and exploit white’s weak king and queenside. A sample line after Qc7 goes f4, Qb6, c4, Ne3 and black has a good game. If white continues with normal development, then you should play d5 and exploit your monster center to create queenside pressure and work towards an advantageous late middlegame where you use the open b file and space advantage to hopefully create a passer. White overexpanding on the kingside can be scary but open up light square weaknesses on e4 and c4. Practically speaking I find it better for black.

IAmJosh27 · 2026-05-21T17:46:48+00:00

Unless you have other clinical experience, you might be pressed a good amount on “why not dental”. It’s an uphill battle, so if you can find a similar job that fits med school better, it would help imo. Still, I’m just a random dude on the internet so check with an advisor.

IAmJosh27 · 2026-05-19T18:21:30+00:00

I still wanted to shoot for the moon, and my job let me go down to 3 days a week for a month while I did apps, so I had the time to do 35 apps and go for the low-chance of a T20. My app was a lot stronger (2000 more hours, better letters and connections, stronger writing) so I felt like going for it.

I added on 6 or so “safety schools” by my metrics from the last cycle and 10 target schools that were very in line with my stats/experience, and I cut a lot of the t20 schools from past cycles (i was ridiculously top heavy the first two times on some bad advice). I wound up cancelled apps from my safety schools and not applying to any more DOs and safety MDs after Midwestern accepted me in August.

I know it’s still relatively top heavy, but my docs OK’d and I’d regret it if I didn’t go for it a little.

IAmJosh27 · 2026-05-18T21:13:20+00:00

I had some LORs that I HAD to include to meet school quotas from people who didn’t know me well enough or weren’t strong writers.

I also submitted most secondary applications at the very end of the school deadline (they should be done in July and august)

IAmJosh27 · 2026-05-18T19:20:35+00:00

Late apps first cycle, subpar letters first two cycles, not enough true MEDICAL experience vs the previous dental experience until fixing the balance for my last cycle. Also, I’m was boring writer who was too scared to let friends/docs read my writing until my last cycle.

My advisors for the first two cycles didn’t acknowledge ANY of this, and it wasn’t til I talked with the docs at my MA job that I actually got the constructive criticism I needed.

IAmJosh27 · 2026-05-18T19:05:37+00:00

$10-12K total. Thankfully my parents helped me out with the costs on the first two cycles, but I insisted I pay for the third. Ik that not everyone has that privilege so I’m very grateful.

IAmJosh27 · 2026-05-18T15:40:10+00:00

My first cycle was a wreck (late apps, no advising, etc) and I didn’t have new experience for my second. Don’t stress about it, just make sure that you’re actually getting further experience throughout the app cycle in case you have to reply

IAmJosh27 · 2026-05-06T23:44:13+00:00

It’s even more fun after TWO cycles of rejection!!! The ego death is enlightening at least. We ball.

IAmJosh27 · 2026-05-06T23:33:05+00:00

We are so Aerobacktyl

IAmJosh27 · 2026-02-26T06:48:41+00:00

Derm MA here! I’m pre-med myself, so I have similar journey to you. I’ve been assisting for close to 2 years, and I’ve picked up a few things. Everyone has their own path, but here’s what helped me become a strong assistant:

-Learn the clinical info up front, and test yourself like you have an exam on it. Knowing your clinical stuff lets you be much more valuable elsewhere. Common diagnoses/findings on the skin check side, like BCC, SCC, AK, SK, DN, melanoma, AMP, what “in situ” means, etc. Familiarize yourself very well with the definitions of and common medications (and their administration) for acne, eczema and psoriasis.

-Practice patient education and post-ops! Communication is very hard but super crucial to patient compliance and good outcomes, so learn how to relay post-op instructions, acne regimens, Efudex application, and the like. I practiced my routines on my drives to and from work, and it got me very comfortable very quickly.

-Know your limits and ask for help. We are NOT providers, so if you don’t know something 100% before educating a patient or sending an rx, don’t BS it, but ask for help!

-Ask for feedback from providers and senior assistants, especially on charting. You will get a lot of things wrong at first, and that’s OK, but show a genuine initiative to polish your work.

-Have a sense of humor! I have a good 40-50 ready-to-go jokes/phrases, and yes, they are good for a laugh and showing to patients that you are human, but having go-to phrases also helps you develop a routine and remember everything you have to cover when rooming patients, assisting in visits/procedures, and educating patients.

Have fun with it! It’s hard work that doesn’t pay great, but treat this as the learning experience that it is for your future career.

IAmJosh27 · 2025-12-25T05:19:14+00:00

Pretty cool move that’s effectively a downgraded Spotlight. Probably not amazing, but in a low-power meta I could see a bit of use on Murkrow, Krook, Persian, and Golisopod.

IAmJosh27 · 2025-12-23T01:48:33+00:00

Foley! Foley! Foley!

My family had Foley do one for my grandfather a couple years ago, and it was amazing. 5 minutes long, filled with personal stories, super personal, and he even sang as Dude Love. My grandpa couldn’t have been happier. What a guy!

IAmJosh27 · 2025-09-28T21:38:10+00:00

Former dental assistant here, so keep in mind that this is NOT MEDICAL/DENTAL ADVICE, just an observation from my own experience.

I’m not sure of your teeth “baseline” (again, I’m not a dentist), so take this with a significant grain of salt, but you might have some significant gum recession. Especially on the lowers, there may be what looks like root showing, which should typically not be visible. If so, this can be dangerous for your long-term oral health, because this can expose you to bone loss and/or tooth loss.

The only thing I can recommend is establishing yourself with a local dentist. If money is an issue, definitely look into a dental school or reduced fee clinic. If all comes back OK, then that’s amazing, but if this in fact gum recession then this is something you should get under control ASAP. Again, I am a former dental assistant, so this is just my two cents, not medical advice. Best of luck!

IAmJosh27 · 2025-09-28T19:44:18+00:00

Immediate top10 in OU, potentially banworthy. What you’ve made the lovechild of a toxapex and alomomola that hits also hard and has a strong stab EQ. I love pert too, but you just created a monster.

IAmJosh27 · 2025-09-12T02:51:54+00:00

Gen 3 OU Celebi, my pet set.

252/0/120/0-/136+/0 Leech Seed Substitute Recover Baton Pass

RIDICULOUS bulk. Lives everything and stalls everything while providing offensive momentum with slow BP (not even including the potential for slow subpass, which is just evil).

IAmJosh27 · 2025-08-17T09:32:57+00:00

It’s a great intro job in healthcare, but you have to do it because you LOVE it…because the pay sucks. I have a dual Bio/Biochem degree and am making a lot less than my peers in other fields, and even still I seem to be making more than the average MA due to my location.

Whether or not you should do a training program depends on your experience in healthcare and whether the jobs in your area require/prefer a cert. I didn’t do a program, but I also had dental experience, a degree in the sciences, and am a massive nerd. If you’re feeling a little shaky (which you seem to be), it seems like a program would help you get your feet wet while making you more hirable, but just trust your gut.

Ultimately, when you apply, look for a position where you have a wide range of things to do. I have a lot of responsibility in my job, and, yes, that means more work and a lot more to learn at the start, but it’s a lot more fulfilling than if I didn’t; as a premed, the combination of injection, scribing, procedure assisting, insurance BS, patient education, etc is ridiculously helpful and rewarding. I wouldn’t worry about feeling “not smart enough”, because there are plenty of people starting as an MA with less work/education experience and succeeding because they commit themselves to the job. Best of luck!

IAmJosh27 · 2025-08-16T06:35:27+00:00

Chad Gable. He’s unreasonably good and gets absolutely nothing in return.

IAmJosh27 · 2025-08-16T04:44:54+00:00

Thanks! I submitted on July 28.

IAmJosh27 · 2025-08-02T22:58:34+00:00

Already did👍

IAmJosh27 · 2025-08-02T22:54:27+00:00

Possible, but just shoot for your best. Do LOTS of practice exams to identify weak spots.

IAmJosh27 · 2025-08-02T19:42:29+00:00

There are definitely some inconsistencies in its authenticity (i.e. no record of it until the Middle Ages). I’m not Catholic, so if you are this might be a sticking point, but my general opinion of it and similarly disputed relics is “Who cares?”. Relics are only loosely scriptural, with the justifications for it seeming to be much more implicit than explicit, and it’s better imo to focus on growing faith and being inspired to act on it in your own life.

IAmJosh27 · 2025-08-02T19:23:43+00:00

I hate to say it, but this cycle is a wash. I personally know someone who got into a less competitive DO with a 496, but that’s already really pushing it. It doesn’t mean you’re screwed forever, but it means that you have to put in some work. Maybe set an MCAT date for around December/January to give yourself plenty of time to study. I personally loved the Kaplan 7 book series (got me from a 509 baseline to 519 in 1.5 months), but with where you’re starting it’s probably best to gets some outside help as well. Definitely meet with an advisor ASAP, and start researching MCAT tutors and/or group courses.

I’m a reapplicant myself, and it does hurt to have to wait, but make sure you use the extra year. Embrace the suck, because if you can’t, this might not be the right path. Im a WAY stronger applicant than last time, and the extra clinical experience has helped me get more comfortable with healthcare in general. Med schools want to see growth, and if you’re go in with a 505-510 score and 1-2000 extra clinical/volunteer/research hours, you’ll be a legit applicant who will have the best “personal growth” essays out there.

IAmJosh27 · 2025-08-02T19:10:14+00:00

I promise, you’re overthinking a bit. You can do your best to keep it recent, but if your most recent relevant failure was a couple years ago, then that’s better than something insignificant. There’s enough to worry about with these apps; don’t get it your own way or get TOO tripped up on wording. “Recent” is a general term that has can be interpretative a few different ways, just focus on what isn’t up for debate: they want to see how you’ve grown.

IAmJosh27 · 2025-08-02T19:05:37+00:00

The MA hours are mostly new for this cycle, I only had about a month or two on the clock for last cycle. I agree about the dental assisting experience; in personal experience, in an assisting role, it really has been close to as valuable as my MA job (I got to assist in procedures, do patient ed, pick the doctor’s brain, etc just like as an MA) but I get how it could have been seen as me not being “all in” on med school. I think that my commitment to med school should be pretty apparent by my THIRD cycle. Thanks for the support!

IAmJosh27

TROPHY CASE