My 3 Most Memorable Games
My illustrious but short career began in 2021 when I learned to play chess. I started online, like many others, and began playing almost entirely rapid games. I found a local pizza shop that had a small club of 2 players (1800 and 1200), Ben and Kevin (you know who you are), who I’m still friends with 4.5 years later. Playing casual games with them guided me to 2 key points in my chess: playing my first of many tournaments, and becoming a chess coach. It wasn’t until game 3 of this blog, in late 2022, that I played my first true classical game, a 2-hour game with a 30-second increment, and a 1-hour sudden death after move 40.
Game 3: What Could Have Been
This game was a strong disappointment, which still stings as I write this, and every time I look back. At the time, I was 1200, facing a 1950, and surely odds were not in my favor, expectations low, but the game offered me chances I had to capitalize on. But you know what, pain and discomfort always serve as motivators, through who I’ve played and what I can be. Don’t forget, any David can slay a Goliath.
Game 2: My Highest Rated Win!
This 2nd game was very recent, in 2026, and earned its place on the blog because of its significance in my road of improvement, and its recency. I’ve been hovering around 1800 for quite some time now, but I know enough to understand improvement doesn’t always announce itself in your rating, notwithstanding that I also played 4 tournament games in the past 3 months. This game has served as a good guide to me and really helped me feel my improvements in strength and tournament professionalism. Plus, a win against someone 250 rating points higher is always nice.
Game 1: My First Strong Win
My final game is my first win against a 1900, and it was HUGE for me.
I had only been playing regular classical chess for around half a year, after my needlessly high provisional rating finally wore off. After a month-long vacation to the Philippines, I told myself I was definitely going to play and practice Chess there. I didn't do any of that, of course.
Thankfully, I made it in time for the last round of a local tournament, helped by having free entry, and lucky me, I got a bye for an earlier round. I was paired against a strong 1950 who was having a rough event. After crashing my rating down to 1200 in late 2022, I brought it up to the high 1300s by June. This usually would not be competitive; Instead, I had the largest upset of my chess career, playing with a 600 rating-point gap, and I still remember this game well.
