My Chess Journey: Good, Bad, Ugly

Alright, this was one of those rare games where I wasn’t just pushing wood, I was playing real chess! My opponent didn’t go down easy and I had to dig deep, calculating, scheming and pulling off tactics like I actually knew what I was doing. Every move felt like a mini masterpiece, every exchange a test of wits and for once, I wasn’t just reacting, I was commanding the board. This wasn’t just a game, it was a battle and seriously, it was a good one!

At my peak, I hit a 2050 gameplay rating and let me tell you, that felt like standing on top of the chess world. But then I met the analysis tool and wow, did it send me into an existential crisis. Suddenly, every move felt suspicious, every strategy questionable and my entire approach to the game started looking like a blunder. One moment, I was soaring like a grandmaster, the next, my rating was on a wild roller coaster, rising and crashing as I desperately tried to adapt, improve and not lose my sanity!

You know what? That’s chess.

A journey of growth, setbacks, and those brilliant and blunder moments that somehow make it all worth it. This game is one of my favorites, honestly a match where I felt completely in control, planned ahead with clarity, and played some of my sharpest chess.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Of course, not every game is a masterpiece. While I had my moments of brilliance, chess has a way of reminding you that a single misstep can turn everything upside down. So, let me take you to a game where things didn’t quite go as planned.

Bad:

Sometimes, despite things looking good on the surface, chess has a way of turning messy. In this next game, I thought I was on track, but, well, let’s just say it wasn’t my finest moment.

There was this one game that still haunts me whenever I think about it. Victory was right there, just a few moves away… but somehow, I let it slip through my fingers. Ugh, the frustration. The regret. It hit like a blunder in a winning position. But you know what? That painful loss ended up teaching me more than any win ever could. It pushed me to tighten my tactics, pay closer attention to my positions, and most importantly, stay fully present with every single move. A tough lesson, no doubt, but that one made me a stronger player.

At some point, I realized something kind of embarrassing. The “Show Legal Moves” button on Chess.com? Yeah… it was turning me into a lazy player. Instead of calculating, I was just following the glowing breadcrumbs like some kind of chess zombie. So, I turned it off, thinking, Alright, this will level up my game for sure.

But guess what? The blunders didn’t magically disappear just because I changed a setting. Nope. I still made mistakes, still fell into traps, still lost games I absolutely should have won. Turns out, the real problem wasn’t the coordinates… it was my thinking.

Ugly:

But, as if that wasn’t enough, there are those games that don’t just hurt and they completely knock the wind out of you. Let me tell you about the ugly side of my chess journey...

As I started improving in rapid and blitz, something strange happened. My opponents stopped asking for draws. Instead, they found sneaky ways to force a draw right on the board, and honestly, that hurt even more. In this game, after 60 intense moves, my opponent casually sacrificed their rook just to force a draw. I just sat there, staring at the board, thinking, how on earth was I supposed to see that coming?

And then... I got bored. So, I started blogging.

I was impressed by the blogs on Chess.com where players shared their experiences, struggles, and knowledge through their blogs. That inspired me to do the same to put my chess knowledge in to my blogs and share what I know with the world and also with you.

Unknown Blogger

At first, I was just adding text and interactive lessons on my Lichess blogs, throwing in some AI-generated images to spice things up. Then, I had the bright idea to copy everything from my Lichess blogs and paste it into Chess.com blogs, thinking it would be a smooth transition. Spoiler alert, it was not!

One day, @VOB96 stumbled upon what was probably my worst blog. I expected her to ignore it and move on. I mean, I would’ve. But instead, she invited me to Blog Champs. They usually highlight clean and well crafted blogs, not whatever chaotic mess I had posted. So why mine? Honestly, I have no idea why!

But that moment flipped the script. And looking back, it was the beginning of something I never saw coming.

That is when I met @kevinsmithidiot, who did not just help me improve, oh no, he completely roasted my writing. He gave me brutal but valuable feedback, even using my own blog as an example of how NOT to write one. Ouch, that hurt! But you know what? That wake up call changed everything, and from there, I actually started getting better.

But let’s be real, the best and most exceptional blogs are in BlogChamps and The Blogger Awards v 2.0 , not mine. Still, this journey taught me a lot.

And with that, I will wrap this up. I hope you learned from my mistakes and maybe even had a laugh along the way. Chess sure has a funny way of teaching lessons!

Evaluation of My Games

@GothamChess YouTube videos have helped me so much in analyzing my games. His way of explaining things just clicks with me, and I’ve learned how to spot my mistakes, find better moves, and actually understand what’s going on in my games. I’ll also share some key terms that really helped me improve!

When analyzing a chess position, there are four key things I always keep in mind. These are the golden rules that help me understand what’s really happening on the board:

• ♟️ Material: Who has more pieces, and how valuable are they? Simple, right? But sometimes, even being a piece up isn’t enough if the position is tricky!
  
  
• 👑 King Safety: Is my king safe, or is it about to get hunted down? And what about my opponent’s king? A weak king can decide the game in an instant!
  
  
• 🎯 Piece Activity: Are my pieces just sitting around, or are they actually doing something? The more active my pieces are, the stronger my position feels.
  
  
• 🪐Space & Pawn Structure: Who controls more squares? Is my pawn structure solid, or do I have weaknesses my opponent can exploit? A good pawn structure can be a game changer!

These four things have improved my ability to evaluate positions and boosted my gameplay, whether I’m playing or reviewing. Keeping them in mind has really sharpened my decision-making.

And here is a pic for you...

Game On

Chess humbles everyone, from blunders to brilliancies, from lost wins to won losses. Some days, we play like grandmasters, other days, our own pieces betray us. But that is what makes chess beautiful, the thrill, the surprises, and the lessons in every move. So whether you laughed at my blunders or found comfort in shared struggles, thank you for being part of this journey. Now, let’s go make some more unforgettable mistakes! 😜

P.S.

 If you ever get bored, play more chess! ♜🔥 If that doesn’t help, share your knowledge 📖✨ like I did! And if all else fails... well, gently 😜 hit your bestie with a pawn ♟️ and call it a "brilliant tactical strike! 🎯😂" Keep the game fun, keep learning, and may your blunders 🤦‍♂️ be fewer than your brilliancies! 🎉♞🚀