A software developer.

I got back into chess after watching Anna Cramling on You Tube. I've since learnt chess.com could have passed on some part of my payment if I had followed some sort of affiliation link.
I don't think I did that at the time. Would love it if chess.com would retrospectively help her.

Her videos inspired me to re-acquire the enjoyment of my youth when I used to play for my school team where I won every match.

I recall losing a Queen in one epic battle early on but still going on to secure a victory for my school.

I used to play avidly on during every classroom break around the ages of 15-18 as an escape from the tedium of revising at O/A level! Retrospectively not a good move!.

I had and won the majority of my matches there too.

I also played chess when working in Indiana in my 20's USA.

There I used to play on my lunch hours. During this period, I also played on a weekend against a room full of people simultaneously and beat them all.

Several years later, I met up with some fellows in a burger joint in when working in Manhattan. They bought out their own chess mat and pieces. There my success was short lived , as I was so rusty. But I really didn't mind losing, it was the first time I had played against someone who seriously thrashed me. I ended up buying their food and they passed on some tips. I hadn't played since.

It's been more than a 30 years since my time in Indiana.

I find playing chess one of the most enjoyable ways to socialise. Really enjoying getting back into things.

Jeremy_Flowers