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During my lesson tonight with @fins0905, I opened up about the ways in which chess has changed my life. John thought the story would make for an interesting twitter thread, so here we are. I learned chess at a young age. Playing my first unassisted game at just 4 years old.
I fell in love with the game. The board and the pieces were fascinating to me. But the game was always just that, a game. Fast forward to early 2013, I found online chess, and once again I was playing a game I loved.
I learned about tournaments and titled players for the first time. I began to take the game a little more seriously. I started to study the complex ideas in the game. The plans, the tactics, the strategy. I couldn't get enough.
Then, after a year or so, I hit a major plateau. I wasn't seeing any further improvement, or even enjoying the game. What was the point in studying something, for nothing in return? I asked myself. I made the decision to quit.
Then by pure chance, in early 2015, I found a YouTube video about chess. It was an analysis of the 6th game from the Spassky vs Fischer world championship match in '72. At the time, the analysis of course went completely over my head.
Then YouTube automatically played the next video. It was one of John's videos. Suddenly, through John's amazing teaching style, I was beginning to understand ideas that never occurred to me. I was hooked. Then in one video, he said the sentence that forever changed my life.
"If you're struggling with your improvement, joining a chess club could greatly help you out." He said. "No way" I thought. My social anxiety would never allow me to talk to, or be in the same room as strangers. I'd be bullied and laughed at, just like I had back in school.
I couldn't have been more wrong. My love for the game eventually pushed me into attending a chess club. It was my last throw of the dice. If this didn't help me, I'd give up chess for good. So I went to the club, and lost every game I played that night.
Yet, I didn't care. I found myself itching to go back. I wanted to try and beat those players in the club. It took me months to understand, it wasn't the game I disliked. It was playing online.
Playing at the club with the physical board and pieces turned me into that fascinated 4 year old again. I met much better players than myself, who continue to challenge me and teach me new things. I made friends. Great friends that I could no longer imagine myself without.
Then, I was put into a discord chat by a former club mate and met my best chess friend. MattyB and I bonded and became great friends, due to our mutual love of John's videos. He is my greatest chess friend, and greatest chess rival.
Since then, I have challenged myself in chess tournaments, and have seen my chess improve quicker than ever before. I went from my first OTB rating of 1128 to now being at 1510. Beginning competitive chess at age 22 and now being aged 25, a 300+ point improvement is huge.
Us adults tend to improve much slower than kids at this game. Yet I gave made large gains, just from joining a chess club. I now whole heartedly regret, not joining a club sooner. My life has been changed so much by making that one decision.
My chess improvement is just a small part of what has changed. I am much more confident and less socially anxious. I have learned to feel proud of myself even when things aren't going right. I have made friends that I am closer too than people I have known my whole life.
To cut a very long story short. If you are exclusively playing online, make the jump to playing at a club. Your abilities will improve and, It may just change your life. Also, thanks again to @fins0905. Not only for the lesson today. But for changing my life without knowing it.
