Real Talk: Interviews with Chess Enthusiasts || EP : 05 || Ft. @speedlimit6500

Hello Readers

After a long time, I'm back with a new story for our 2024 collection. Here I present the first episode of our 2024 Interviews featuring @speedlimit6500 in our blog series, "Real Talk: Interviews with Chess Enthusiasts" I hope you all enjoy it and please leave comments that encourage me to continue bringing you more exciting and motivating stories.

*Full Name

Sankarshana Sudeendra (aka @speedlimit6500)

*When did you started playing chess?

I started playing chess back in 2019, when my mom was teaching some kids online about how to play the game. I sat through some of the classes and learned interesting things about the game that sparked an interest for the game in me.

*What motivated you to play chess?

I like games of strategy, especially complicated ones. Chess is one of the hardest strategy games out there, and it really helps you think when you're deciding whether it's worth risking your king's safety for an attack on the enemy king, for example. Also, I've never been much of an athletic kid so I don't play many sports, and this helped me kill some free time too.

*How did you learn to play chess?

I learned how to play chess when I was around 7 years old- That was when I discovered ChessKid.com, and it was really helpful in teaching me how to play chess. Back then, I wasn't really interested in the game, but after I learned new interesting things a few years later, I started to develop an interest.

*What are your goals in chess?

My goal is to become a National Master someday. I probably won't pursue higher titles, because I have other things in life that I also wish to do, but I think it would be cool to hold a title, even if it isn't the highest of them all.

*Have you participated in any over-the-board (OTB) or online chess tournaments?

I have- My first USCF tournament was back in August 2020. By then I was really passionate about the game and had just learned about the USCF system, and I wanted to try out a national rated tournament to see how it was. I enjoyed it, and continued to play in these tournaments. My first OTB tournament was in July of 2021, when I played in a tournament close to me, because I then realized that achieving a title needed to be done with an OTB rating, and not with an online rating. I really liked this experience, and I still frequently play in OTB tournaments today, around once or twice a month.

*What advice do you have for other chess players looking to improve their skills?

Don't focus too much on your rating- it's just a measure of where you're at right now. Don't compare yourself to others, just focus on your improvement. If you practice as often as you can, study your openings, learn tactics, and practice your endgames, your skills will improve, and your rating will increase with it. Even though I'm only 1500 on chess.com and around 1200 USCF, I've found that practicing concepts that I learn from outside places such as online or chess classes really helps me get better. I've seen great improvement in my own chess skill over the past few years, and I'm sure you will too as you keep practicing. Going to a chess class would be really helpful, you just need to find one that you learn the best from. You could try a few different places to find out what style of learning helps you the most and hopefully find a chess class that suits you. Even if you can't go to a chess class, using online resources such as chess.com really helps, especially the opening and endgame trainers. No matter what your goals are for chess, I wish you only the best and hope you succeed!

*Is there anything else you would like to share about your chess journey or experiences?

Don't get discouraged if you lose many games in a row. It'll be fine. You're most likely just not having a good day, or something may be causing you to not be able to concentrate on your game as well as you normally would. I find that taking a break from chess for a few hours after I lose a bunch of games usually helps, and once I've returned, I'll have a clearer mind and be able to focus more on the game I'm playing.

"Even though it's a pretty short game, I'm proud that I was able to see a tactic and capitalize on it, instead of missing it like I usually do 😅. I'm sure I have played better games but I'm still proud of this one."

Best Whishes

From Sankarshana Sudeendra (aka @speedlimit6500)

I would like to express my gratitude to Sankarshana Sudeendra for showing interest in my interview series and generously sharing his wonderful experiences with us. I also want to take this opportunity to encourage readers to share their own stories. If you're interested, you can find the link to the interview series here: Real Talk: Interviews with Chess Enthusiasts.

Please do follow me here :-

Best Regards,

Udayan (aka @ChessyMesssy)