A Farewell to Chess.com Social — For Now

Hey everyone.

What better day to post this than on my friend @xxVesper’s one-month anniversary of her goodbye blog?

I have been here for over two years, and it’s been quite a journey.

I wanted to take a moment to explain why I’ve decided to step away from the social side of Chess.com and focus more on chess itself.

When I first joined Chess.com, it was all about the game. But over time, the social side started to take over. Managing clubs, replying to messages, and staying active in chats slowly felt less like fun and more like a job—a job I loved, but a job nonetheless. I started feeling obligated to come online every day, like I didn’t really have a choice. It was exhausting.

One of the main reasons for this decision is that life has gotten busier. I’m juggling taekwondo, badminton, chess training, tutoring, and next year I’ll be in 8th grade. My grades have been slipping, and I know spending so much time on Chess.com social is one of the main reasons. I needed to cut down distractions, so I started mass-unfriending people—not because I don’t care, but because I have to focus on what really matters. That’s also why most people won’t see this post.

For me, chess itself is what really matters. I want to spend more time studying openings, tactics, and strategy to improve my game. I want to play more serious matches and learn from them instead of getting caught up in the social side of things.

And soon enough, I will be leaving Chess.com social fully.

Well, I guess this is goodbye. Being part of this site has been a real emotional roller coaster for me. I’ve shared so many funny and happy moments, but there were also times when I felt genuinely hurt, frustrated, or even angry because of how some people acted. The truth is, the main reason I’m stepping away is because some of the negativity and disrespect started to weigh on me more than I expected. I’m tired of dealing with trolls and toxicity that make what should be a fun community feel heavy and difficult.

That said, there are a few people who have been amazing and supportive through it all, and I’m more thankful than I can say. Special shoutouts to some great people who helped me on this journey:

@xxVesper, @Fossil, @carlsen, @the-alpha_zora, @TerminalNZ, @TheAuthorOfChickens, @Qoiuoiuoiuoiu, @Iansicles, @Solflaren, @Yamagumo, @Jared, @GMChessminator, @5_Knights @cupidilz @Penguincrosby — thank you all so much!

Concerning my club, DTV: I’ll still remain the owner since I’m yet not ready to step away from that responsibility. While I’m stepping back from the social side, I’ll still handle whatever needs to be done to keep the club running smoothly.

I’ll truly miss everyone I’ve met here. Whether we talked a little or a lot, you’ve meant a lot to me. I really hope to come back to Chess.com social someday—hopefully stronger, more focused, and ready to enjoy it again the right way.

At the end of the day, I came here to get better at chess. That’s what I’m going to focus on now—studying, training, and playing high-quality games. I’ll still be around, just quieter and more focused.

Also, as a favor, I request to be added to some of y'all's graveyards/bios (Also, my messages are still open!) Tell me your honest thoughts of me here! (https://www.chess.com/blog/Deflects/lets-be-honest-your-opinion-of-me)

Thanks again to everyone who made this experience fun while it lasted. And if you actually read this all the way through—thank you. It really means a lot.

I’ll possibly be back in a few months/years, and I expect to see y’all waiting for me.

Live Your Life To The Fullest And Take Care. — Your friend, @Deflection