I remember how my chess journey began, over a decade ago. I knew the rules of the game and had played with family and friends, but I knew there was a lot more to this game, and was determined to improve.
I watched Chess videos, played chess online, watched professional chess games…but for over a year, my progress floundered. My online rating barely moved. I distinctly remember posting a chess question I had to a website forum, and getting incomprehensible answers from more experienced players using terminology I had never heard of, as if they were speaking a foreign language. It was easy to feel discouraged in these days.
It was quite some time before things started to “click” for me…but when I finally realized what it took to improve, improvement came rapidly. Within two years, my rating shot up into the 1900s, and I had earned the Expert title from the US Chess Federation before another year had passed. In 2018, I finally earned the coveted Master title.
