A Short Greeting

Hello Everyone,

Having just joined the site, I felt this would be a good place to put out a short introduction. My name is Josh, as my username would imply. I'm in my twenties, and I live in northwestern Illinois.

I learned to play chess from my dad when I was nine. For most of the years after that, I didn't really know anymore than how to move the pieces, and didn't play very often with anyone except my father. In my teenage years I started to play a lot more and really fell in love with the game, but never learned much more than basic strategy and opening theory. Within the last couple of years, having a bit more time than I did back then, and still having the passion for chess that I always have, I've started taking the game more seriously, and have since started studying more in depth and playing a lot more. I count former World Champion Jose R. Capablanca as my favorite player. I love his absolutely classical approach to the game, and in reading his books you can tell that he was having fun even writing about chess. Now that's love for the game!

Outside of chess, I've got a lot of other interests just like anyone else. I read a lot. I prefer nonfiction books, mostly of a historical or mathematical-scientific nature. As far as fiction, H.P. Lovecraft is an author whose work I thorougly adore. I enjoy travelling, and playing darts on Friday nights at my favorite club uptown.

Oh, and I absolutely love Mexican food, and anything that'll make me laugh.

I'm looking forward to meeting and playing games with a lot of you!