Reflections on My Journey as a Chess Player

I still remember when I first played chess, back in 5th grade. My brother had visited my cousin's home and learned how to play the game. When he came back, he told me about two forces attacking each other to win and I was immediately curious. So, we tried to recreate the game using pen and paper, marking the black squares with a marker and creating pieces using paper with the notation written on top. We played this makeshift version of chess for a few days until my father saw us and decided to order a proper chessboard for us.

When the chessboard arrived, we were thrilled to start playing on it. I even started taking it to school and playing with my friends. One day, a teacher saw us playing in class and asked who the owner of the board was. I was a little nervous, thinking he might take it away from me, but instead, he praised me for my interest in the game. I even taught some of my classmates how to play. At that time, there were only two people in my class who were better at chess than me. However, I practiced more and eventually became skilled enough to defeat them as well. It was a very amazing moment for me at the time.

I continued playing chess until 10th grade, but after that, I wasn't an active player. However, when I got to college, I learned about a district-level chess tournament that was being organized in a few days. I registered to participate and, although I was a little nervous about playing again after such a long break, I did well and earned a 3rd place finish. This renewed my interest in chess and I started playing again.

One of my seniors told me about the annual college chess tournament and encouraged me to participate. I went to the PE teacher and told him about my interest in the game. He gave me the rules and regulations and I participated in the college-level chess competition. Out of over 100 participants, only 5 of us were selected to compete at the university level for three consecutive years. While I was unable to play in the first year, I gained valuable experience in the second year and my team was honored with the runner-up award in the final year. We were even gifted a brand-new chessboard, which was a very proud moment for me.

After college, I continued playing chess and gained more experience by playing on online platforms. Recently, I participated in a players league on chess.com. The top 20 players advanced to the wood league, then the top 15 advanced to the stone league, then the top 10 advanced to the bronze league, then the top 5 advanced to the silver league, then the top 3 advanced to the crystal league, then the top 3 advanced to the elite league, then top 1 advanced to the champion league, and finally, the top player advanced to the legend league. I played in every league and was eventually awarded the legend league award.

Overall, my journey as a chess player has been a long and rewarding one. The game has taught me patience, strategy, and how to think ahead. It has also introduced me to a community of like-minded individuals who share a passion for the game. I am grateful for all the opportunities it has brought me and the skills it has helped me develop.