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

Want some information about chess technology? Check out my blog on the subject. https://www.chesstech.info/

Started playing chess very late as 17 y/o college student. Became club and tournament player. Made quick progress measured by climbing on rating ladder. It took about 1 year to 1800, another ~2 years to 2000, and another ~2 years to 2200+ FIDE. Betrayed chess for 'normal life': army, job, family. Played occasionally without training for few years with little progress. Abandoned chess for good. Started thinking about come back to OTB tournaments recently. Bought book "Chess for Life" by GM Matthew Chandler and WIM Natasha Regan, and began searching for best training methods to improve my chess skills and overcome rustiness. And the story begins...  

I started playing chess at 9 taught by an uncle. By 10 I can beat him. By 11 giving as much as queen odds to beginners of my age group. Started in serious chess during Karpov~Korchnoi WCC.match. My first book was Chess Fundamentals by Capa. Played in tournaments for 5 years while studying Chess Informants. Retired from tournament and serious chess. In 2000s someone gifted me Fritz 7 and revive my chess interest. Started playing online chess in Chesscube. Last 4 years in chess.com

Awesome!

I learned how to play at age 6 (in 2006). I never went to tournaments then, I just had fun and was serious about soccer. I made my first chess.com account in Jan 2009 (slightly before the dumb cheater_1 was banned). My first tournament was in 2012 (age 12). I hit Class B USCF by 2013, but then I got slightly busy, so I didn’t gain as much rating. Since 2013, I have only gained about 200 points in OTB . Now, I mostly just play online, and when I can, I play OTB.  

I learned chess in an english course when I was in elementary school, in 7th grade there was a small fever of chess in my school, however, I didn't learn anything. Up until 11th grade I got into chess.com thanks to a peer and the rest is history, not the most exciting of stories IMO.

THANK YOU!!! I started this forum thread never dreaming that so many people would be willing to share their story. Many are heartwarming, wonderful, sharing the human side of the game. I want to share that  I'm applying for a part time position as a writer for Chess.com. That would be a dream job for me. Please send good vibes my way.  

 

I would like to read your sad, sad story, lol.

I was born in Kansas City and spend most of my time between Chicago, New York, and LA. I learned how to play chess from another horn player about four years ago-  as a good way to pass the time in between studio gigs. Man, I really love the the game. It's simple to learn the moves- but so beautiful in its complexity. Like good jazz.   

Like good jazz!

Great post!

Years ago, a member here from the States who visited Spain posted that, as soon as he was leaving the airport he aaked for a chess club and they gave him the address of a jazz club. "Only later I learned that horrible word, ajedrez".

I blogged an invitation to join us and share more stories. https://www.chess.com/blog/RMChess1954/share-your-story-learn-to-respect-your-opponent

Feel free to share this link with your friends. 

I get this strange vision of a chessboard as the only unmovable constant in the universe, with all these different lives revolving around it. All these people lead so many different lives, but everything is forgotten as soon as a new game begins and all of the concentration is on the board.

I started as a child, can’t remember now how much I was taught and how much was self taught from books. I also self taught piano after a little introduction from my parents. I remember getting one of those electronic boards with 10 difficulty levels for my birthday when I was 8 or 9.

I played at secondary school from age 11-16 in the chess club, whilst competing with music, football and studying. Left school and then didn’t play again for many years.

I discovered chess.com a few years back but again life got in the way, wife, work, young kids. But there’s something there that draws me back. I like to study, I like puzzles, I like games and I like to be challenged.

Now I’m back again and this time I’m sticking with it. I’m going to study chess and learn it, then start adding matches to my daily routine. I don’t feel like I have enough knowledge of the game to put myself out there yet, there are basics I want to understand and I like to think a good game. I see a small repertoire as a minimum requirement for getting in to regular matches at my age, now 37.

Time to see if we can get some more personal chess stories. Here was the original post.

What is our shared human experience with this game? What have we done? Where are we going? 

Just as a way to think of this.

I am from ...

I learned to play chess ...

In the past I have done the following chess related activities ...

Currently I am doing the following chess activities ...

When I was 9 years old, I was bored, so I went on YouTube and I learned about this thing called "chess". I watched more and more videos of it, then I started playing chess more often.

I learned to play chess at age 17, at a party. They taught me some drugged friends and it seemed like a fun game. I started playing more seriously at 20, I used it as an escape route since in my house was having a bad time and used to be depressed all day. Chess saved my life, literally. From time to time I study chess and I intend to improve my level. Right now I am not studying chess and still playing high and "bad" stuff like that, but in the future I would like to take it more seriously and see if I can get a nm title.

Started a new job with quite long hours earlier this year and wanted a good more practical hobby.

A lot of interesting stories. Our fellow human beings and how they found chess. It's worth reading.

4th grade teacher taught the whole class. No doubt the teacher caught *Fischer madness, but I imagine by 1978, Fischer madness had run it's course.

*From a statistical point if view, I think the interest in chess generated by Bobby Fischer's '72 championship win was over by 1978, having peaked in 1974.

I was terrible at chess...

...but one day...

...I had a friend over...

...and we were bored, so I asked if he wanted to play chess.

He won easily.... 🙁

...so I bought and read "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess"...

...and started winning. 😁

We didn't play chess too often, but if I won games, he'd study chess and start winning, so I'd start studying so I could win games.

Years later, in the Army, they has a chess club so I joined it. My first official USCF rating was 1140, if I recall.