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Why im taking a break from chess

Why im taking a break from chess

LiftingChesss
| Mar 31, 2026
| 114
| 9

Hey everyone, as im sure some of you know, the HS State Championship concluded on the 8th... so there has been a large delay in this blog, and thats what im here to talk about quick before we get into the actual chess stuff. The honest truth ...

Pressure Makes Diamonds... Usually

Pressure Makes Diamonds... Usually

LiftingChesss
| Feb 23, 2026
| 161
| 6

Hey everyone, Normally I try to put as much effort as possible into the good annotations in these blogs and less on the actual word side of things. But after this tournament Im not really sure I feel like annotating my games, there is definitely...

Im washed at chess

Im washed at chess

LiftingChesss
| Jan 19, 2026
| 214
| 5

After 3 months of not playing any OTB it can probably be expected that my performance would not be incredible, which ended up being correct. However on some good news I did manage to hit 2500 blitz on chess.com before 2025 ended, but online and OT...

My Greatest Tournament Of all time

My Greatest Tournament Of all time

LiftingChesss
| Oct 5, 2025
| 403
| 3

Well folks, its certainly been a while.  But im back, and after a streak of bad tournaments, the recent studying has all paid off. I went into the 2025 Northern Open with a rating of 1912, having just hit my online peak of 2449 I was feelin...

How I became the State Champion at 17

How I became the State Champion at 17

LiftingChesss
| Mar 13, 2025
| 298
| 2

I began my chess journey exactly three years ago, starting with an online rating of just 330. The game instantly gripped me, resonating deeply with my brain (perhaps due to some form of neurodivergence). From that moment, most of my waking ...

Destroying at the MN Open

Destroying at the MN Open

LiftingChesss
| Feb 16, 2025
| 274
| 2

I have a confession to make, In the past month since my last tournament I have done 0 chess studying, almost no puzzles and a strangely obsessive amount of the game "geoguessr". So going into the Minnesota Open I did not have high expectations for...

My Biggest Tournament win ever!!!

My Biggest Tournament win ever!!!

LiftingChesss
| Nov 21, 2024
| 215
| 1

Hey everyone, it's been a minute.  I did end up playing a tournament between this post and my previous one, It went ok, and I gained about 20 rating points. I never ended up posting it because life has been super busy, I haven't been 2300 o...

My worst tournament ever.

My worst tournament ever.

LiftingChesss
| Jul 7, 2024
| 348
| 0

What defines our success? Is it our circumstances? Or what we put in? Well, I asked myself that weekend at the Rochester Open in the u1900 section. And it turns out for me to succeed I would need to be good at chess, however, thats a rare occurr...

Clutching second place!!!

Clutching second place!!!

LiftingChesss
| May 20, 2024
| 182
| 0

Yeah this series is starting again, last year having attended 3/5 of the events and winning money as 13/334 overall players in the state, I was looking to get this started with a solid showing at the St Cloud Open, you know the drill, 104 players,...

Attempt 2 at State high school Championship!

Attempt 2 at State high school Championship!

LiftingChesss
| Mar 10, 2024
| 150
| 0

2 weeks after my previous tournament we are back at it again for the second year in a row at the state scholastic (k-12) championship!  Having won last year in the u1200 section, I had high hopes along with 500 more uscf rating points than last y...

State chess tournament!

State chess tournament!

LiftingChesss
| Feb 25, 2024
| 376
| 3

So for a fun new twist of things, ill be putting the handshake photo before every round so you can get an idea of the scenery. Anyways, we are back! Tourney #2 of the year, I went in with a 1506 rating in the u2000 section... as the 36/37 highest...

First Tournament of the Year!

First Tournament of the Year!

LiftingChesss
| Jan 21, 2024
| 403
| 2

Lets go, this tournament started out really rough, but we made a comback. Id like to say beforehand there was almost no one at my rating that I could play so we got stuck with bad odds every game, a loss means I lose a ton, a draw means I lose, a...

Fascinating and intense defending game.

Fascinating and intense defending game.

LiftingChesss
| Dec 7, 2023
| 151
| 1

I love fun games like these, this is a highlight of the KID, white gets an attack, but just how fragile can their position be with correct play? Hope you enjoyed another game showcase! Have a good day yall! -Owen.

Tactics all over! (Triple game showcase)

Tactics all over! (Triple game showcase)

LiftingChesss
| Nov 22, 2023
| 82
| 0

Hey yo! Today I wanted to showcase 3 beautiful games that I played today, in no particular order. Game 1: Tactics In the Bird. Game 2: Double Brilliants in the Sicilian. Game 3: Decisive London Victory. I just felt like sharing these 3 inte...

Class Championship Recap!

Class Championship Recap!

LiftingChesss
| Nov 12, 2023
| 120
| 0

Hey everyone! I recently completed the Mn Class Championship! I had a great time in this 4 round tournament. I played in the Class C section, which was 1400-1599, it was amazing although I didn't play the best chess I could have. I finished with 1...

The Greatest Rivalry of all time

The Greatest Rivalry of all time

LiftingChesss
| Oct 20, 2023
| 73
| 1

Forget Messi vs Ronaldo, Magnus and Hikaru... Its FourCubedLegend vs Gual777, a strong German player with some incredible hair. We have played 8 times since I created this account, 8 legendary games. From 1600 rating to 1900 rating, this rivalry ...

My first ever chess tournament...

My first ever chess tournament...

LiftingChesss
| Oct 16, 2023
| 77
| 0

August of 2022, 1 year, and 800 rating points of experience in my past.  My openings were far different than they are today, and I had no style, as you will definitely notice. At a mere 1300 rating online with 0 otb experience... lets see how I f...

How to be a giant killer in chess.

How to be a giant killer in chess.

LiftingChesss
| Sep 22, 2023
| 128
| 2

Rating is considered incredibly important in tournaments and online play. You see someone with 200+ rating points and you expect to lose and get destroyed, but how can we change the way we approach ratings? A good friend and opponent from a tourn...

Too many 1700s!!! Northern Open Recap!

Too many 1700s!!! Northern Open Recap!

LiftingChesss
| Sep 17, 2023
| 91
| 0

Hey gang! Im back and stronger at chess than ever. In this recent tournament I played in the u1800 section. As a 1408... missing the cutoff of the u1400 section by 8 mere rating points. No way this could go wrong! Draw first round against a 1676...

How a bozo beat a FM. (In blitz)

How a bozo beat a FM. (In blitz)

LiftingChesss
| Jul 15, 2023
| 86
| 0

This will be a fun game highlight post from my best blitz win ever, back when I was a measly 1670 or smth at blitz. There we go! Solid win against a titled player there. So not too shabby for a 1650 me! Hope you enjoyed and maybe learned someth...

Another W. Rochester Open Recap!

Another W. Rochester Open Recap!

LiftingChesss
| Jul 9, 2023
| 66
| 0

Hello Homies! We are back at Classical chess! Recently I performed in the Rochester Open. The 3rd out of 5 Minnesota Grand Prix tour tournaments. This time around I was the highest rated person in my whole section. I chose to play down in the u140...

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