My First Chess Tournament Experience

♟️ My First Chess Tournament on Chess.com
So recently, I played my first ever chess tournament on Chess.com. I just joined it out of curiosity—I wanted to see how these online tournaments actually work.

When I entered the tournament, I saw a mix of players. Some had really high ratings, while others were around my level. I clicked “Start Game” and suddenly, boom! I was paired with someone close to my rating. The game started and honestly, I was nervous but excited too.

As the tournament went on, I started beating a few players one after another. That part felt great. But what surprised me was how different everyone’s playing style was. Some went for wild attacks, others played safe, and a few made random moves that somehow worked. It made me realize how much variety there is in how people think and play.

Of course, I didn’t win all my games. I lost some when I started facing stronger players. But I tried to keep my cool and just learn as I played. In the end, I finished 32nd, which I think is pretty decent for my first time.

One thing I noticed in this type of Chess.com tournament is that it’s not like a normal round-by-round thing. There’s a time limit, and you have to play as many games as you can within that time. The more you win, the higher you go in the standings. So it’s not just about playing well — you also need to play fast.

A lot of my opponents were moving super quickly, maybe to get more games in. But because of that, they made a lot of blunders, which actually helped me win a few games. I’m not sure if they were nervous or just trying to be too fast. Even though it was a rapid tournament, it felt more like blitz at times.

 
Final Thoughts
Overall, the experience was fun and taught me a lot. Not just about chess, but also how tournaments work online and how different players think. I’m definitely looking forward to joining more in the future.

If you’ve never tried a Chess.com tournament before, I’d say just go for it. Win or lose, you’ll learn something.

Let me know if you’ve played one — how did it go?