It Started Early

I started playing chess when I was seven years old. Early on, I joined a chess club, where I spent many years playing tournaments and league matches. Chess became a regular part of my life and stayed with me through both my youth and adulthood.

Growing Through Competition

For years, most of my improvement came from playing. Tournaments and league games provided constant feedback, and my rating slowly increased as I gained experience over the board. Chess was challenging, but progress felt natural.

The First Plateau

Around a rating of 1500, that progress stopped. I was still playing regularly, but I didn’t feel that I was improving. Games began to feel repetitive, and studying didn’t seem to translate into better results.

Improvement Without Satisfaction

With effort and persistence, I eventually moved from 1500 to 1700. On paper, this was progress—but internally, the same problems remained. I still felt uncertain during games, often found myself in time trouble, and struggled to understand why certain positions went wrong.

Learning to Calculate

The real shift came when I stopped trying to learn more and started focusing on calculation. Instead of collecting ideas, I worked on how to think during a game—slowing down, calculating concrete variations, and checking my decisions carefully.

A Calmer Board Presence

That change affected more than just my moves. I felt calmer at the board, more focused, and more confident in my decisions. Because my thinking was clearer, I managed my time better and found myself in far fewer time-pressure situations.

A Clearer Game

Chess didn’t suddenly become easier, but it became clearer. Positions made more sense, decisions felt more grounded, and even losses were easier to understand. That process—refining how I think rather than what I know—continues to shape my relationship with the game.