February 2026: A Quieter Month, but One of My Strongest Yet

February was a lighter month for me in terms of classical competition, but somehow it became one of the most meaningful months I've had in a while. Even though I only played one quad night (3 games) and our weekly classical event (4 games), those seven games carried a lot of weight. They pushed me toward a new personal peak classical rating of 1652, and more importantly, they reflected real progress in my mindset, preparation, and confidence.

What made this month interesting is that life didn’t slow down for me at all. Work was hectic, sleep was finally improving, and I wasn’t getting nearly as much study time as I usually like. But I tried to make every minute count by chewing Neuro Gum on breaks to stay sharp, drinking more water, being mindful, staying positive, and sticking to my training pillars: Silman’s Endgame Course, the Woodpecker Method, and my weekly deep dives with my coach. Even when I couldn’t study much, the quality was there.

And even though I missed three quads from uneven numbers and skipped Tunnelvision because I took my daughter to a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament, the classical games I did play carried the story of the month.

Quad Night — February 17

Game 1: vs. Jonathan McAulay ~ Win (Black)

Jonathan is one of our newer and more solid additions at the club, and whenever I face him I know I need to be extremely disciplined. He’s very principled and will immediately strike if I leave something loose. He loves the Queen’s Gambit, so I met it with a Tarrasch-style setup intending to create and play against his IQP.

He actually managed to trade it off before I could target it, but later in the middlegame I created a hole around his king and my bishops/rooks became extremely active. The critical moment came after 24. Be7?, which collapsed his position. He thought he still had Kh1 available, but once he realized the tactic didn’t work, he resigned.

A clean start to the night.

Game 2: vs. Lawrence Feng — Win (White)

Larry is someone you never underestimate. He’s been studying hard and when he’s having a good day, he can absolutely play up. He went for one of his kingside-fianchetto setups, and I decided to meet it with something a little unorthodox: just throwing my kingside pawns forward and trying to generate pressure.

It’s not exactly “by the book,” but in fast classical time controls the psychology often matters more than theory. Larry admitted afterward that he simply didn’t know what to do under the pressure and that it got to him. I actually felt bad because he’s improving quickly, but this game will serve him well as staying calm under fire is a skill every competitive player has to learn.

Game 3: vs. Chace Nguyen — Win (Black)

This was the decider for the quad.

Chace is a strong returning player who’s shaking off the rust, and I really wanted to show that I’m not the pushover he remembers from last year. He played a Scotch line that reminded me of my games with Paul Copeland; but this time I was on the Black side of the structure, not the White side I’m used to.

The middlegame was uncomfortable. I didn’t love my position. But one of the things I’ve been working on is staying calm and leaning on my endgame study. When things look messy, I try to simplify into something I understand.

By move 42, I had created a kingside passed pawn; a pawn I was prepared to sacrifice if it meant activating my king and winning the queenside race. Chace saw the inevitable and resigned.

I was proud of this one. Not because it was perfect, but because I handled a tough middlegame and trusted myself.

February Classical Month

Round 1: vs. Jonathan McAulay ~ Win (Black)

Another Jonathan game, and this time in a longer format.

Again I aimed for the IQP structure and successfully created one on c5 that I could play against. I miscalculated a tactical shot involving 21. Re3 completely missing the double attack; but managed to counterattack fast enough to stay ahead.

Eventually I got a chance to set up a really pretty forced checkmate by sacrificing my queenside passer to lure his pieces away. Jonathan let it play out, which I really appreciated.

Round 2: vs. Miguel Rodriguez  ~ Win (White)

Miguel has been visiting the club while stationed at Fort Jackson for AIT, and he has picked up some impressive wins. He went for a kingside fianchetto as Black, and my plan was simple: take the center and launch a kingside initiative.

His attack came first and it looked scary; but he gave up a knight, and I worked through the complications carefully. On move 18, his queen was actually trapped, but I couldn’t see the finish clearly enough with the time I had, so I chose the safe route and picked up a free bishop instead.

Up two pieces, the only long-term danger was his kingside pawn mass, but he resigned before testing whether I could stop them. Another solid game.

Round 3: vs. Thomas Thorla ~ Win (Black)

I prepped for Thomas all week. I expected a Queen’s Gambit, but not this version, and by move 5 or 6 I was out of book and calculating everything from scratch.

Thomas is one of the club’s fast improvers, and he’s very good at calculation. One of my biggest weaknesses is relying too much on intuition, so I really wanted to push myself into calculated, grounded play.

I spent a lot of time on the clock ~ more than Thomas, which is rare; especially after his brilliant 16. Ba3, a move I didn’t think was even possible. From there my plan centered around creating queenside connected passers and aiming to win the endgame by marching my king to the kingside while his pieces tried to hold the center.

I stopped notating after move 27 because of time trouble, but fortunately the game was broadcast, so I recreated it afterward. Thomas offered a draw after we traded bishops, but the position was still playable and I declined. He missed a key chance with 36. a4, and from there the game unfolded exactly how I had planned.

It was a tough, scrappy, but deeply satisfying win.

Round 4: vs. Thomas Kemp Jr. ~ Draw (Black)

The final game of the month.

All week I had prepped for someone else (Sean Miller), expecting the white pieces. But when the pairings landed, I got Black vs. Thomas Kemp Jr, a young improver at the club, a new blogger, and someone who keeps getting sharper every month.

This game was another test of the mental game I’ve been working so hard on. I stayed calm, even when under pressure, and even when I fell into massive time trouble with just 3 minutes left while TKJ still had nearly all of his.

Move 32 was where things started slipping and I felt like I was losing; but I wasn’t panicking. Then came the big tactical moment: TKJ played 34. Rxe6, seeing a phantom mating idea, and it allowed me to unleash the brilliant 34…Qxe6!!, which completely shut down the threat.

After pushing 35…d2 and threatening to promote, I offered a draw. TKJ made me prove it for a few more moves, but soon we shook hands.

A fitting end to a month defined not by volume, but by quality and composure.

Final Thoughts ~ February in One Sentence

A light month on the board, but a heavy month in growth.

Less study time forced me to make the most of every moment. Better sleep improved my focus. Work stress tested my resilience. And the games themselves, just seven of them; felt like a turning point in how I approach calculation, endgames, and the mental side of competition.

Despite everything happening around me, I managed to reach a new peak rating of 1652, continue refining my process, and stay grounded in the grind toward my long-term goal: 2200.

Ready for March.
Let’s keep climbing.