How is it that we humans are so smart, that we learned to build airplanes and rockets, computers and AI, split the atom and land on the moon, but we didn't learn to be happy? I grabbed this question and went to my wise coach Rao Srikumar, whom I...
Even though I stopped playing chess professionally over 10 years ago, the lessons I learned from the game continue to shape my life. Last year, when I turned 36, I wrote down 36 lessons chess had taught me about life. I thought that was the list...
I reached a 2,000 rating at age 7.Grandmaster loading soon.Except it stopped loading. All I improved in the next 5 years was only +100 rating points. That’s it. One reason.I was lazy. I loved chess. But I loved video games more. A LOT ...
![Why You Feel Lazy and How to Get Motivated [Talk to Your Minions]](https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/blog/1076992.6c9bdedc.300x169o.eb6380d514f3.webp)
Imagine there are 1,000 mini people living in your brain.Like Minions. They are all kids.Between 3 and 7 years old. They are not in charge.But they shape your life more than you think. When these Minions are with you, magic happens. No ...
“Attachment is the root of suffering.” - Buddha Before knowing monks and former monks closely, I used to think they didn’t have goals.No ambition. No targets. I was wrong. The past year I spent a lot of time with my monk fr...
“I have about one hour a day. How should I train and improve my chess?” This is one of the most common questions I get from adult improvers. And today I am going to tell you how to use that one hour to become a Grandmaster. Haha....
A man is down on his hands and knees under a streetlamp.A policeman walks by.“What are you searching for?”“My keys.”“Did you lose them here?”“No. But there’s light here.” We laugh at the stor...
Most companies worship speed.“Move fast, break things.” But Toyota did something different.They built a system that said, “Move smart. Fix things.” Back in the 1950s, their factories were chaos wrapped in success.The li...
Who is more successful? A Grandmaster with 2,750? Or a master with 2,400?A billionaire? Or a millionaire?An influencer with a million followers? Or one with a thousand? The world screams the same answer each time.“The first one! The bigg...
In the early 80s, one man’s nightmare became another’s dream.Metallica kicked out their guitarist Dave Mustaine.Handed him a bus ticket back to San Francisco. Goodbye. The same day, they picked a new guy. Kirk Hammett.Barely in his t...
I wanted to cancel his membership.Who could have guessed it would lead me to my future investor, my Godfather… and that the story would later be published in Inc. Magazine? I didn’t plan any of this. I just did what felt right...
I walked into my favorite bar like I just won a championship.Ordered my favorite cocktail and started the celebration.Not a chess tournament. Not a milestone at ChessMood.I was celebrating a victory… over myself. Flashback. 6 Months Earli...
All I saw was her red hair.All I felt was the wind from her speed. For a second, I thought maybe dinosaurs were back.But we were in the airport.So I figured she was just late. Five minutes later… Same lady.Same speed.Now running in th...
My recent conversation with Levon Aronian was so profound that I went back to rewatch the episode and reflect on some of his concepts and ideas. Then, just like I do with books, courses, or podcasts, I wrote down the key insights I took from Lev...
Me and meditation? Bad relationship.We just didn’t click. I tried the apps.Tried the gurus on YouTube.Dropped $500 on a fancy gadget, which I threw away after two weeks.Even went to a temple in Thailand, and sat with monks. Peace never c...
I was halfway through a movie a few months ago when I paused it.Not because my parrot started talking again.Not because someone called me. I paused because something felt… off.Like I was in the front row of Hell Airlines, being pulled int...
“Is the Universe Friendly?” At first, I didn’t get the question. Is the Universe what? Friendly? What does that even mean? I dismissed it… until I learned it came from Einstein. Then I paused. Not a theory. No...
Would you love to have strong openings, memorize your variations, understand the plans, and be ready for the middlegame transition? Sounds like a dream? Actually, it's absolutely achievable. I’ll tell you how to do it. But before...
I wrote this a year ago but never dared to share it. You might appreciate my honesty—or you might judge me. But the message is too important to keep to myself. So, I drank some lion’s milk and hit publish. I hope that even if it ...
Even though I stopped playing chess professionally over 10 years ago, the lessons I learned from the game continue to shape my life. As I turned 36 a few days ago, I reflected on these lessons and put together a list of 36 insights that chess ha...
He made my day… and then immediately unmade it. At breakfast with the team a few days ago, our tech lead announced he’s set on raising his rating by 400 points in 2025 — from 1,300 to 1,700. I loved it! With his drive ...
We all started because of the LOVE for the game, but over time, we often get caught up in ratings, rankings, and external goals. What if we could give up all the pressure and rediscover the pure joy chess once gave us? Maybe that joy will bring ...
Are you familiar with this feeling?You look at the board. At your pieces. At your opponent.And you find yourself asking, “Okay. What’s next? What should I do? What should be my plan?” Or at the end of the game, your friend, coa...
They thought I was strange and crazy.I thought there was a virus in their souls. I didn’t have friends in school, and I didn’t care. But what is true is true.I wanted to spend time with girls. It took me time to hack the co...
Stoics and Zen masters would be proud of me if they saw my inner peace and the level of stillness I was in. But they would die from laughing if they saw how after a few hours I got so angry, that I threw my phone into the garbage basket. Every...
