My Journey

My journey on Chess.com

A few years ago I played chess with a few friends at work every day at lunch for a few months and then we stopped playing, because some of the key players left the company.

I was about average in skill compared to these players, and I always regretted dropping the game, as I am a competitive person and enjoyed playing.

By chance, I found chess.com a few months ago and decided to give it a try.  I don't know why I thought this, but I figured my rating would be about 1100 - 1200.  I knew opening principles but didn't know any openings, and I knew some good tricky attacks, such as the discovered attack and forking. etc..  My strategy was to get all my pieces out in the opening and then try to win more material than my opponents by using my tricks.  

I got off to a great start by winning 6 out of my 7 first games and had a rating of 1203.  I though to myself that chess was pretty easy.  I figured that I would have to improve my game to get past the 1400s.  Maybe, I would even have to open a book and study chess.

Then came the fall:  I started losing regularly and quickly fell down past 1100, then 1000.  I couldn't fall below 1000, could I?  Yes, I could.  Then I fell below 900, 800, 700! I finally settled around 670 or so.  

OK.  Chess was not easy.  I didn't lose every game, just most of them.  I hit rock bottom and had to admit to myself that I was not a good chess player.  I was terrible at chess.

I wanted to get better, because losing most of the time was not fun.  I first noticed that my record at playing white was much worse than black, and I figured that settling on an opening that suited me and studying it well would really help, at least when I played white.

At around 670, I was at least treading water, as I had fallen to my level of play.  I only play 10+0 minute rapid, and I also noticed that I took me longer to make moves than my opponents, so I often lost games due time crunches or time outs.

I settled on the Scotch game for my opening.  I liked the sharp lines that it created and the advantages that can be gained if black doesn't play it right.  Also, this opening creates open games and I figured that would help with my time management issues.  

I started using the Scotch and noticed that my rating went up and hovered around 695.  I struggled to get over 700 and it seems that any time that I did, I was quickly knocked back down to the 690s or 680s.

Shortly after studying the Scotch, I started looking into tactics and principles.  My favorite Youtube channel is Gotham Chess.

I watched many videos and pondered how could I improve my game.  And then about a week ago, I had an epiphany:  As Gotham Chess puts it, I was playing hope chess.  Hoping my opponent blundered a piece or I could trick him to win material.  What I really needed to do was seek effective  position for my pieces and use them to compliment each other and have a longer term plan.  Forks and discovered attacks should still be used, because they can be very effective, but they shouldn't by your whole strategy.

I it was like a switch went off in my brain.  I knew my game had improved, even before I played again.  I went on a tear.  I won my next 11 games and have gone 19-4, since this realization. 

My rating has climbed to 795 and I don't know how far up this will take me, but I am playing much more confidently and enjoying myself.  

I'm still at a very low rating and have a lot to work on, such as I still blunder too much.

Chess.com has truly humbled me

Thanks for sharing, keep enjoying your travel, many great places still to visit.