Announcing Our Fall 2025 Winners
Dear Improvers,
As we are coming to the end of this inaugural year of the Improvers Challenge, we are excited to announce our Fall 2025 Winners!
As we announced, the September, October, and November prizes are merged. Huge thanks to all of you who shared your amazing posts, cool videos, and kept the community vibes great this month.
Post of the Month
We have three winners for the post of the month.
- cegalleta: A beginner's journey in chess: How I went from 100 to 1700.
The author shares their personal progress from a 100 online rating to 1700 on Chess.com, outlining what they learned and how their play improved at various rating milestones. They break the journey into stages—from learning the basics (100–600) like piece movement and avoiding traps, through developing tactics and solid opening choices (600–1000), to deeper tactics, strategy, endgame knowledge, and structured training at higher levels (1000–1700). At each step, they describe common mistakes beginners make (like relying on cheap tricks, failing to analyze mistakes, poor development, or weak time management) and what helped them improve (such as puzzles, game review, focused study routines, playing stronger opponents, and expanding strategic understanding). The post emphasizes disciplined, principled play and consistent study as key to improvement, and aims to guide other lower-rated players through similar milestones. - CM Adriano Nunes Cavalcante (AdrianoNunesFX): From breakdown to breakthrough: how my setbacks became my personal glory in chessThe author recounts his emotional and competitive journey toward earning the National Master (NM) and FIDE Candidate Master (CM) titles, focusing more on the mental struggles, pressure, and setbacks he faced off the board than on technical chess alone. After achieving a milestone, he hit a low point with poor results and nearly quit, but by lowering expectations, focusing on small goals, and regaining confidence, he gradually improved and eventually crossed the 2000 FIDE rating threshold. He reflects on the importance of mindset, celebrating progress, learning from loss, and balancing chess with life and mental health, ultimately finding joy in the game again and planning the next steps in his chess and personal life.
- Victor Fernandez Escabia (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz44): Sants OpenThe author analyzes their games from the Sants Open chess tournament, round by round, sharing their calculations, thoughts, and what they learned in each game. They describe being nervous at the start, key moments where preparation helped or missed opportunities hurt their results, and tactical and strategic lessons from various openings and positions. Throughout the blog they reflect on how preparation, confidence, and focus affected their performance over the event.
The author shares their personal progress from a 100 online rating to 1700 on Chess.com, outlining what they learned and how their play improved at various rating milestones. They break the journey into stages—from learning the basics (100–600) like piece movement and avoiding traps, through developing tactics and solid opening choices (600–1000), to deeper tactics, strategy, endgame knowledge, and structured training at higher levels (1000–1700). At each step, they describe common mistakes beginners make (like relying on cheap tricks, failing to analyze mistakes, poor development, or weak time management) and what helped them improve (such as puzzles, game review, focused study routines, playing stronger opponents, and expanding strategic understanding). The post emphasizes disciplined, principled play and consistent study as key to improvement, and aims to guide other lower-rated players through similar milestones. 
The author recounts his emotional and competitive journey toward earning the National Master (NM) and FIDE Candidate Master (CM) titles, focusing more on the mental struggles, pressure, and setbacks he faced off the board than on technical chess alone. After achieving a milestone, he hit a low point with poor results and nearly quit, but by lowering expectations, focusing on small goals, and regaining confidence, he gradually improved and eventually crossed the 2000 FIDE rating threshold. He reflects on the importance of mindset, celebrating progress, learning from loss, and balancing chess with life and mental health, ultimately finding joy in the game again and planning the next steps in his chess and personal life.
The author analyzes their games from the Sants Open chess tournament, round by round, sharing their calculations, thoughts, and what they learned in each game. They describe being nervous at the start, key moments where preparation helped or missed opportunities hurt their results, and tactical and strategic lessons from various openings and positions. Throughout the blog they reflect on how preparation, confidence, and focus affected their performance over the event.Video of the Month
We also selected three winners for the Fall.
- Patokaczu: Learning those Chess Endgames will Skyrocket your rating
The video argues that studying endgames is the most important step to improving in chess, especially up to 2000 level. It briefly explains key pawn, rook, queen, and minor-piece endgames, focusing on practical positions and core ideas rather than memorization. The main message is that understanding endgame principles, activating pieces, and practicing real endgames leads to consistent improvement. - Matthew Richard (TrustyMatt) aka Maverick Chess: How the French Defense Revived My Chess Confidence
The video reviews the creator’s recent games playing the French Defense, showing how it led to strong results and exciting attacking chances. They analyze several wins, a draw, and a loss, highlighting key ideas, tactics, mistakes, and lessons—especially in middlegames and endgames. Overall, the video emphasizes the power, flexibility, and attacking potential of the French Defense, with the creator concluding that it has become one of their favorite and most effective openings. - Masky Chess: How to Reach 1000 Elo in Chess as a Beginner (in 27 Days)
The speaker explains how they reached 1000 ELO in 27 days by following a simple, focused plan instead of grinding games or memorizing theory. They first studied beginner-focused analysis videos to build understanding, then drilled just two key tactics (pins and forks) daily. When playing, they used one simple opening (the Italian Game), avoided deep theory, and chose longer time controls to think clearly. The main message is that structured learning, tactical focus, and simplicity are enough for beginners to improve quickly.
Congratulations to the Fall winners of the Improvers Challenge! 🎉
A big shout-out to all our Post of the Month and Video of the Month winners; their insightful, creative, and inspiring contributions truly stood out. Thank you for helping the community learn and improve. Well done, and keep up the great work!
The winners will be contacted about their prizes:
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$50 Chessable voucher
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3-month Chess.com Diamond Membership
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Personal coaching session
Big thanks again for your energy and participation!
We have announced the return of the Improvers Challenge in 2026, so don't forget to sign up now:
Fill out the official registration form below to join the challenge. We can't wait to see what 2026 brings to you and to this amazing community!
