Improving at Chess

My good chessfriend 'Girusp' from India wrote today 5 May

"you enjoy this being a titled player and higher rating we have to be content with whatever comes our way"

I replied..

Truth is Girusp, I worked extremely hard to get my Fidemaster title.

I started playing at 16yrs old

I used to get 2 Rooks and a Queen start. Then I improved until the then State Champion could only give me a rook start (I was 17). My first rating at 17 was 20? Yes 20? with a question mark.  A year later it was 1570. I was 18 . By 19 I was leading the Australian Championship Masters for about 8 rounds until collapsing due to personal matters...Yes I do enjoy being a ChessMaster....because I know I studied chess every day when I was young buying the Yearly publication of Chess Informator containing about 700 GrandMaster games and playing thru several games Every day trying to understand how they think. I suggest to ALL my pupils to play through at least 2 GrandMaster games every day and try to understand why they make certain moves. Hopefully, some of the GrandMastery will rub off ...