2024 - A year in chess
When I learned to play chess in 2007, it was little more than a weird little game I would play with my family from time to time. My game plan consisted of pushing every pawn onto the same color to form a big pyramid and then bring my king up slowly. I would intentionally attack a queen with an undefended bishop and hope that my opponent did not see the diagonal before it was too late. Six years later, in 2023, I returned to the game and started learning openings, tactics, and playing against bots on chess.com without making an account. Finally signing up in 2024, I've been able to share the experience of online chess with millions of people from all across the globe and uncover what has become one of my biggest passions.
Seeing as the past 365 days have had such a big impact on my journey in chess, I would like to make a brief recap of what I have learned and achieved in the departed year 2024.
Improvement:
- I've solved around 1,000 tactical puzzles both on and offline
- I've achieved a four digit rating in every time control on chess.com
- I've achieved the legendary title of being the best chess player in my family
- I got an advantage against a WCM in a tournament game (even though I went on to lose that game)
Tournaments:
- I've played in 13 local tournaments
- I won two separate tournaments organized by my school, one in february in 9th grade and another in september in 10th grade.
- I played in an official state tournament in an U16 category, leaving with a record of three wins, one draw and one loss.
- I won the U14 category of a chess tournament organized by my coach's chess academy
Community:
- I've inspired and encouraged many of my friends to learn and improve at chess
- I became the vice-president of a student-organized chess club in my school
- I've been able to talk to many other chess players online and make new friends
In recent time, the game of chess has seen an unprecedented rise in popularity, and I can't wait to continue to see the community grow in 2025. To finish this blog, I would like to wish all the best in their chess journies, and a happy new year.
