Back in the Ring: My Inaugural Post as a Chess.com Top Blogger

Well, this is new. I get to type the words “Top Blogger” next to my name, and it feels a bit surreal. Thank you to Chess.com, the Blog Champs community, and to all of my friends and followers who have read, encouraged, and nudged me to keep writing. This post is my way of saying thanks — and also of setting the record straight on where my chess has been, where it went wrong, and where I hope it’s going.

The Rise

Earlier this year, I was in the kind of chess shape every adult improver dreams about. I had six months of coaching from FM Midas Ratsma and WIM Svetlana Sucikova, and the results were undeniable. Their regimen of play, analyze, puzzle, repeat — alongside their courses — helped me climb nearly 200 ELO points, topping out at 1573 in March.

It felt like I’d finally found the formula. A steady diet of tactics, deep post-mortems, and regular lessons had me sharper, calmer, and more confident at the board.

The Fall

And then life said, “Not so fast.”

I earned a promotion at work (a good thing!)…but coupled with family responsibilities and my duties as President of the Columbia Chess Club, the schedule conflict became impossible. My European coaches were excellent, but the time zones just didn’t mesh anymore. Coaching had to go.

What followed was what I can only describe as a chess tilt spiral. From March to August, my rating fell like a piano out of a high-rise — plummeting from 1573 all the way down to my floor of 1300. I’d put in two hours a day of openings and tactics, but nothing clicked. Each loss stung worse than the last.

Online? Every game left me frustrated, convinced my opponent was cheating. Over the board? I began displaying sportsmanship unbecoming of a club president. It was ugly. I was burned out, angry, and suffocating under self-imposed pressure to “prove” myself because I lead a prestigious chess club.

So I stopped. August became a month of rest — just some puzzles, the occasional blitz game at the club, but no serious prep, no events. A necessary detox.

The Perspective

What I needed to realize:

• Everyone at my club is strong.

• Everyone online is strong.

• Chess is just a game.

• My biggest opponent was my own self-imposed pressure.

A surprising bright spot during this lull was joining the Gremlin Plays Chess community. On Friday evenings she streams unrated games against viewers. For once, I could see and hear my opponent — laughter, banter, encouragement. That human connection softened the sting of losing. Her community reminded me that chess could be fun again.

But the truth is, distraction has also been my opponent. A social media addiction that eats training time. Excuses about being tired. Allowing life’s weight (literally and figuratively — I’m 100 pounds overweight) to drain stamina and focus.

The Return

The Columbia Chess Club is hosting the 2025 South Carolina Chess Championship the first weekend of October (details here), and I intend to compete.

That means it’s time to return to the work — but with a new perspective.

On the chessboard side:

• Back on Chessable for opening prep.

• Doubling the pace on the 50 Day Tactics Challenge (Part 2) and 50 Day Endgame Challenge.

• Reading GM Jonathan Rowson’s The Seven Deadly Chess Sins to reset my mindset.

On the life side:

• Better sleep.

• More water.

• Walks and runs (I joined the Conqueror’s Challenge as motivation).

• Fasting, cutting sugary snacks and sodas.

In short: if I want to sharpen my mind, I have to respect my body.

The Goal

This will be my fourth South Carolina State Championship, and I’d like to step into it not just as a competitor, but as someone who can enjoy the game again. To learn from losses rather than rage at them. To embrace the grind with gratitude instead of pressure. To fight for every point but also tip my king with grace when it’s time.

So here’s to my inaugural post as a Top Blogger, to pleasing Caïssa with renewed effort, and to celebrating chess for what it is — the world’s greatest game.

See you in October.