Hello to all fellow Chess players! I first fell in love with the game of Chess at 10 or 11 years old on a 12-14 hour flight to Peru. My sister’s father had a small wooden travel Chess set, and we played for hours! I couldn’t get enough. As the years went on I didn’t play as much since I rarely had anyone to play with back home in Camden, NJ unfortunately due to life’s daily grind. I’m half Puerto Rican and half Peruvian.

As time went on I had a son, and decided to join The United States Navy in February of 2001. I served proudly aboard The USS Enterprise CVN-65 up until January of 2009 whereupon I was Honorably Discharged. I was a Tractor Driver in both V-3 and V-1 Divisions. They loved my driving on the VERY slippery flight deck, and I was really good at parking multi-million dollar aircrafts less that 6 inches away from each other despite our aircraft carrier pitching, yawing, moving side to side, up and down, and the EVER present seawater which would leave salt deposits adding to the precariousness of our daily life as Sailors out to sea on deployment. I deployed twice in the Middle East with each deployment lasting between 7-9 months. That’s a long time to be crammed aboard an aircraft carrier with over 5,500-6,000 unique individuals from ALL walks of life.

I learned quickly how to deal with adverse situations working in Damage Control, and being responsible for 3-M Periodic Maintenance with 67 Sailors answerable to myself, and our Leading Petty Officer. It wasn’t easy, but despite a few discussions behind closed doors we got all 83 of our assigned spaces in immaculate shipshape! In the Military we all acquire a very unique skillset. We learned how to deal with the individuals individually with all of their own distinctiveness, idiosyncratic views, and more often than not we clashed, but eventually we put the mission of serving our great country first and foremost. This was not easy, but the bonds you make in the Military is a bond unlike ANY other ANYWHERE! The word Camaraderie is something that’s hard to explain to someone that’s never been in the thick of things with someone you had to trust with your life or even fathom that concept. That’s the honest to God truth. I’m closer with my Shipmates than I am with members of my own family. Family is More about Relationships than Blood!

I’ve lost so many of my near and dear to my heart Shipmates, and am very sad to say that I’ve also lost some of my closest of friends from back home in Jersey. The term Friend is NOT something I use loosely either. If I call you a friend know with certainty that there’s nothing (NO-THING) I would not do for you!

Fun Facts About Me:

I used to play tackle football with no pads as this was my therapy. I played RB/LB. I LOVED contact!
I am a HUGE comic book collector and an enormous Batman afficionado! Yup. I’m a geek. Lol.
I am an avid Greek History and Mythology buff especially during The Peloponnesian Era!
I LOVE stargazing, and taking in nature as it helps me to heal, and deal with my PTSD.
I used to own my own business where I’d buy, tear down, refurbish and upgrade laptops on eBay.
I am extremely mechanically inclined!
Every problem to me is an opportunity waiting to present itself, and I LOVE thinking out of the box!
I LOVE to converse and meet people from ALL walks of life. We ALL have a story to tell.
I have aspirations of being coached by Grandmaster Benjamin Bok. He’s so humble and I respect him.
I HIGHLY recommend his Accelerated Dragon course available on Chessable, and 30% off for Chess.com 🔹🔹 members!
Thank you for reading my profile, and God Bless you all!
Oh, and before I forget to mention, I’m a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan. GO BIRDS 🦅 🦅 🦅!!!!!

cmdboy79