What is your story? How did you start playing chess? What have you, and are you doing in chess?

My name is Yash Bhargava. http://www.uschess.org/msa/MbrDtlMain.php?16100156

I am from Indiana. 

I used to just play one or two games with my dad every month when I would get bored. It went on like this until a friend of mine showed me scholastic tournaments. My dad submitted me in my first scholastic tournament in December 2016 and I got a 315 rating. I was interested so I took lessons and created a chess.com account. I was getting better but slowly. Then in early 2017 my dad gave me diamond membership. Then look at my rating graph:

I went up a lot but then went to India for a month in December and since there was no wifi I was not able to practice. Thats why I fell from 1297. Now I am slowly building my way up. I aim to reach 1500 before I turn 13.

Good luck! :-) I think you'll do it...

DeidreSkye, I injured my shoulder quite badly after a fall. 

I'm definitely a lot better thanks, but I have to have physio for several months now.  By the time I've finished that, I'll be a chess Grand Master.....just kidding, wishful thinking. :-)

thank you so much

I have already told my story, but I would like to add that of all the games and puzzles in the world only chess keeps my interest going. card games, board games and dice mostly depend on luck and are there more for having a good time with other people. They are not very challenging for the mind. Crosswords become boring after a while. There is no interaction. Checkers for me is too abstract and too mathematical/sterile. Someone gave me some Go-lessons, but the concept is too alien for me and to play it well I would really have to study it and recognize those patterns. I am too old to want to spend so much time on it.

But chess is always a new puzzle. there are always new players and always new situations on the board, so every new game is a new challenge. Your rating can not predict if you lose or win the next game. I have learned to laugh at my own blunders and losses (with a few exceptions when a blunder kept me gnashing my teeth for a long time and sometimes still haunt me) and to delight in my wins (when playing an equal or higher rated opponent). So it is the only game I kept playing and watching all my life. Which says something I'm sure. At least for me.

Thanks again for sharing AyoV.

AyoV.......Absolutely perfect!!-

I have contributed a few tales to this charming thread, one more comes to mind.

I now live in Asheville NC in the mountains. I am very pleased to say that I bought a house before it became outrageously expensive.

Downtown Asheville is very pleasing with a (very) small park in the center of town, with a few chess board tables which are well used (on sunny days mostly) by tourists and of course the local itinerants, N,o shirt Bob being the one who keeps the other 'irregulars' in line and of course me on odd occasions when time allows.

Anyway, I thought it would be pleasing if the boards were covered with a roof and wrote to the local free paper, (read by absolutely everyone) to suggest it should be done.

I forgot about this over the next couple of weeks and went on down to play some chess. As I approached the table., there was NS Bob with a nicotine stained forefinger tapping on the page of the very latest edition of the paper.

busted, me.

I wanna update..... yesterday I beat my friend with 8-0 streak when I meet him after 6 years... I just laughed internally that this guy told me that I sucked at chess 6 years ago...he & his elder brother trolled me badly at that time...now I had take my revenge... thanks chess.com & my every opponent...I just wanna play with him 100 games & show him that he messed with wrong person....🖕🖕..... I think he was full of ego at that time....he plays like 700 rated person...

YES!

I like these stories

It all started in a little 500 watt radio station in Fresno Ca...

When I was 6 , my dad introduced me to this game. He didnt teach me how to caste or any openings BUT he did teach me how to checkmate. He used to play with me and lose games just to see smile on my face. then my school started , and after a very long break of 9 , one of my friends told me they had joined chess classes and were not attending it cuz there were too many chess notations and they found it boring. I was surprised to know there were classes for chess. So my curiosity brought me on chess.com where i learned what chess notations are and thats how it started...

I learned to play chess from my dad.

Rishabh_Yadav_7, There is satisfaction with beating someone who has normally beats you and to do it so many times proves it was not a fluke!! 

I usually try and stay humble with my chess ability and every now and again, I find someone who feels it necessary to tell me how they are very good at chess (usually people who ARE do not brag). My satisfaction comes when I wipe the floor with them. I still try and stay humble because I was at their level at some point, but in the back of my head, I am trash talking like no other!!!

The humility comes when I get my clock cleaned!!! 

nur nicht aufregen! hier im forum ist es normal das trolle jedes thema irgendwann kapern!

It was an inter-school chess competition and there was literally nobody that was interested in playing chess except 1 guy... there were 2 to be sent... so I learned playing better (I already knew how to move the pieces) and here I am now

We look forward to the day you decide to sober up...