afro, if you look at the lower left portion of the New Game window, you will see the Game Type Settings link. Click that, a new drop down menu will appear that will let you select color ... but only for unrated games. If you make a direct challenge to a specific other player, you can also select color.
Hope this helps.
I like to play defense (the black pieces). But I don't see how to set that up. I checked setting but no luck. Can anyone help me?