National Master at Last

Just a year after making a dumb April Fool's joke about it, I finally crossed the elusive 2200 barrier, winning my 359th rated game at the last meeting of the 2016-17 Pittsburgh Chess League.

Over the last few years, I've met many people who've kept my chess experience interesting and sometimes read my stuff. Thank you for your support!

I wrote a bit more at Chess^Summit about what pushed me ahead in the last stretch, my next steps, and some shoutouts to a few important people. Here's the critical game:

Re summer plans:

• I'll be interning in Seattle, so for the most part I'm only playing there (if at all; depends on how much I want to take advantage of life and work-related opportunities there).
• That said, I may pop by one of these if I visit a friend in the Bay Area.
• I'm probably playing something the week before my fall semester. Most likely the Atlantic Open or the U.S. Masters (hopefully the second, but it's more expensive!).