Working at Chess.com Rekindled My Love for the Game

Hi everyone! 👋

I'm excited to kick off this blog series and share a bit about myself and my chess journey.

I joined the Chess.com team about 7 months ago as a People Business Partner, supporting over 200 amazing humans behind events, content, broadcast, community, support, fair play, and everything else that makes Chess.com such a special place. It’s a dream to work with so many people who are dedicated to help people enjoy their lives through the game of chess.

But my own chess story started(and is still) much humbler. I joined my high school’s very novice chess club (we were probably more excited about snacks than Sicilians). I was the top player, but even then I was certainly a sub-1000 player. A core memory there is learning Scholar’s Mate, which I cringingly spammed as my “opening repertoire.”

I dabbled on Chess.com as a guest before creating my account in 2011, but it wasn’t until late 2020 that I really decided to return to the game with the intention of learning it properly.

Since joining the Chess.com team, my passion for the game has reignited in full force. I’ve had some incredible opportunities—like meeting Magnus Carlsen and many other amazing players—and this environment has made me want to recommit to my improvement in a meaningful and semi-structured way. Hence, the blog.

Where I’m at today (April 2025):
Bullet: 1628 Peak / 1600 Current
Blitz: 1472 Peak / 1346 Current
Rapid: 1620 Peak / 1406 Current
Puzzles: 2604 Peak / 2553 Current

My proudest win? A blitz win against a WIM rated 2247! Total outlier, but I’m absolutely keeping that in my trophy case.

I'm in a bit of a slump compared to my peak ratings—and honestly, it's deserved. I feel I'm currently playing at the level I’m rated at and not my peaks, part of this may be playing too much bullet while not keeping up with other formats for months at a time. But I see that as an opportunity to rebuild with intention and better habits.

Current Weaknesses (with a side of self-awareness):
Middlegame play is where most of my blunders live. Early and endgames feel more solid.
I’m confident playing the French as Black but get shaky against 1.d4 systems.
I play a reasonable amount of games… but I haven't carved out the time to actually study.

Goals (Early to Mid-Term):
Climb back to 1500+ in Rapid & Blitz
Build comfort against D4 openings
Complete at least one study session per week

This blog will be part accountability partner, part journal, feedback and community building with you all, and part sandbox for sharing progress. I’m also planning to stream my journey on Twitch, so stay tuned for that! twitch.tv/chasegamesmusic

If you're someone who loves chess, I'd love to connect and grow alongside you!

Feel free to reply with any suggestions!

Let’s do this.