My friends and family wonder...

Most people don't know that I play Chess! Chess is a game about strategy and logic. I started playing chess last year and I have learned several moves like the back-rank checkmate, king’s pawn opening, and the Sicilian defense. I was inspired by Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen!

I started chess as a casual family game but was soon intrigued by the intricacies of the game. I wanted to challenge myself so I started reading and researching about it. I requested my parents to arrange a professional coach. I started reading about chess history and learnt that chess came from the medieval times as a strategy tool to plan for the war. Most people think that sports has to be outdoor and physical. I love outdoor sports as well but chess is a mind game which stimulates your brain cells and makes you strategize.

Let me give you a brief overview of the game. Two players each have 16 pieces on the board. The objective is to constrict the king with no escape possible. Of course, you have to follow a set of rules to claim victory. But each piece has a specific move. Like the bishop moves only diagonal and the knight only moves in an “L” formation. But the main reason chess was invented, was to push your brain to think harder. It is a hard game at first, but once you get familiar with it, it won’t be that hard. Well, of course, I am still learning checkmates and other moves by a professional chess woman grandmaster. This means they have played at least 27 tournament games and have a rating of 2500 or above!

In the future, I plan to be a chess grandmaster. I will keep learning and trying to reach this goal. It might be hard, but dream big and achieve your goals. As it’s well said by a wise man: “Every chess grandmaster was once a beginner.”