Year in Review: My Blogging Journey Thus Far

Apr 3, 2026, 8:23 AM | 8

Hello everyone, and welcome back!

Today, the 3rd of April, is my birthday; I am turning 15.

However, this is my first birthday since becoming a blogger! So, allow me to take you through my Blogging Journey (such as it is).

14 November, 2025

On the fateful fourteenth of November, my first post marked me as a blogger! I was new to writing for a public audience, and my blogs were not quite what they are today, but I was having fun and that is arguably the most important part of blogging!

The first post I made, introducing a Road to 1500 series that never really got off the ground...

In any case, that was not nearly as important a date as...

20 November, 2025

On this day I received an invite to Blogchamps from @VOB96. Blogchamps, for those of you who don't know, is an official Chess.com blogging league run by Top Bloggers with seasonal blogging competitions. Absolutely worth joining even if you don't want to compete! You can find it here.

This invite completely changed the way I viewed blogging and was the gateway to most of the rest of my career.

On the writing side of things, I continued my road to 1500 series, and began preparing for season 10 of BC.

9 December, 2025

On the 9th of December I submitted my post for Blogchamps season 10 round one. Titled "The One Champion No One Talks About" it went over world Champion Max Euwe and why he was so different from the rest of the world Champions.

Max Euwe vs. Alexander Alekhine in their first match (Via Chatgpt).

This was my first major post, and my first one that I actually took time to write! I really enjoyed researching and writing it, and although it was flattened by most of its competitors I'm still proud of it.

3 January, 2026

The third of January marked my round two submission for qualifiers. This one covers less history and more of the philosophy behind chess. It's titled Why We Play: What Sets Chess Apart.

It was another long post that didn't compare well to many others, but it was still good work that I'm proud of (again). I really enjoyed thinking about the Chess bug for a bit, and put in strong effort that I think paid off nicely.

Details define chess far more than many other games, which is why it's so hard to step away from.

I unfortunately didn't qualify for the blog bowl with this one either, but that's OK. I wasn't really ready for it anyway, and enjoyed spectating more than I likely would have participating.

14 February, 2026

On the 14th I participated in the Blogchamps' first Valentine's day competition. Again, I didn't win first place, but I enjoyed the extra challenge of writing a themed post (more than I already write chess themed posts...)

67 April, 2026

This day is actually April 1st, but I couldn't resist a 67 joke.

Alright, now that I'm actually finished with the 67, let's get back to the more important (mature) stuff.

So anyway: on April 1st, I had the chance to meet the distinguished Grandmaster Clawrus, the strongest GM unda da sea.

He introduced me to his patent pending opening, the Caro-Crab, which was ridiculously powerful. Have you ever wondered if there was one opening that you could study to win all your games with it?

Look no further, because the Caro-Crab is a true powerhouse.

Play the Caro-Crab today with this quick and easy introduction!

If you've made it this far, I'd like to stop and take a moment to thank you. Many people don't actually read whole posts and if you do, you are a real blessing to all of us bloggers out there.

So let's get back into it with the next big thing: I've talked about the past, now I'm going to talk about the future!

All the Stuff I'm Doing this Year

Unfortunately, I haven't completely mapped out this year yet. Besides playing in the Candidates tournament (and winning), I'll have a few other things I want to do.

First of all, I'll be participating in Blogchamps season 11, 12, and 13 (if it happens before next year). My goal is to advance past the qualifiers in one of those two seasons. In addition, during the Monthly Blogger Awards, I want to win at least 5 awards over this year.

Second, I'll be a sub for and will report on the Not So Pro Blitz Chess League, another official chess.com league. I hope to improve my writing and analysis skills while partaking in this endeavor!

Third, I'll continue to actively participate in and advance and participate further in a few of the clubs I am partially responsible for. Among these are the Fair Players Club, in which I am a coordinator, the Zenith Knights, where I am one of three SAs, and Writer's Assembly, a small and currently inactive club I run, which hopefully will get off the ground this summer.

I will also continue participating in IChess, Blogchamps, Blogger Awards, Serious Player's Votechess, the Bibliophile Chess Club, and others which I'm sure I've forgotten.

What I'm Changing

First and foremost, attentive followers of mine (you know who you are), will likely notice that this thumbnail is not created with ChatGPT like most of my others. I've decided to stop using AI for my blog unless given a good reason to.

I, like many others, have seen many problems with using AI, and although I think it is beneficial, I believe it has no place in art, and I consider blogging art, hence the decision.

Cya buddy.

Second, I'm going to schedule out my posts. Outside of competitions, I'm going to post a blog every two weeks, one of which being spontaneous and new, and the other being part of an already existing series (could be my Random Game series, could be a return to the Road to 1500, or could be a totally new one!).

Third, I'm going to spend more time editing. Instead of posting with 5 revisions, I'm going do at least 8 revisions of everything I post.

My username, I have officially decided, will remain Chickpea, although I will capitalize it and get rid of the numbers. My blog will be renamed "The WriteKnight Library" and that will be my blogging Moniker.

Long Term Goals

This is a space for things that I doubt I will accomplish this year but want to do eventually.

First, I want to actually hit 1500 in rapid, daily, blitz, and OTB.

Second, I want to become a Top Blogger. I'm willing to work long and hard for this one, and eventually hope to have the coveted badge on my profile...

*Comes out of daydream*

Lastly, I want to do more OTB. I just don't play enough games on a real chessboard, and there's something to be said for the peace it can bring. I hope to meet new people, and maybe join my school's chess club.

I think that's all for today. I'm looking forward to a great year, with driving lessons, another soccer season, and ever more Legend of Zelda on the horizon.

It's going to be a great 2026.

Thanks for reading.

May your tactics stay sharp.