Chess, for me, didn’t start as a passion—it started as a loss I couldn’t forget.

I’ve been playing for over three years now, facing players from all over the world, but it all goes back to one moment. I was in 7th grade, and a 6th grader absolutely destroyed me. At the time, I thought I knew what I was doing—I was going for the Scholar’s Mate, moving my queen around like I had it all figured out. But he didn’t panic. He didn’t fall for it. While I was chasing a cheap win, he was building something real—developing his pieces, setting up attacks, thinking ahead.

By the time I realized what was happening, it was already over.

He didn’t just beat me—he exposed me.

And that stuck with me.

From that moment, I couldn’t let it go. I got on Chess.com and never really got off. I started playing nonstop—game after game, loss after loss, win after win. When my favorite game at school, Narrow.one, got blocked, I didn’t even care. Chess had already taken over.

By 8th grade, I hit my highest rating at the time—1145. It felt like progress, but then I stopped playing over the summer. And just like that, everything I built started slipping. That’s when I learned something important—if you stop, you fall behind.

I used to play the King’s Gambit as White, just attacking and hoping for chaos. For Black, I had nothing—no structure, no plan—until I found the French Defense. That opening changed everything. It gave me something solid, something I could rely on. It wasn’t flashy, but it was mine.

The truth is, I’ve never had a coach. No trainer. No one guiding me.

Everything I know, I learned the hard way—by playing over and over again, watching YouTube videos, figuring things out myself. Every mistake, every loss, every small improvement—it all came from repetition.

At school, I kept climbing. Faster than anyone else around me. I’m in 9th grade now, and people notice. They say things like “take a break,” “you’re playing too much,” or “that chess grind is crazy.”

But they don’t get it.

This isn’t just about playing games.

It’s about proving something—to myself.

I don’t stop because someone tells me to. I don’t slow down because it’s “too much.” I keep going because I know what it feels like to get crushed and not understand why. And I promised myself I’d never be that player again.

This is my Game. My Mindset. My Determination.

And I’m not even close to done.

My FAVORITE opening for black is the French Defense

My FAVORITE opening for white is the Italian Game

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