Chess.com Staff Profiles: Introducing Łukasz

Meet Łukasz, one of our newest Support staff members. If you've ever interacted with him, you will see that he's a mellow guy who handles business with a smile!

Tell us a little about yourself. 

What made you decide to work at chess.com?

My name is Łukasz. I’m from Poland. My background is in Finance and Accounting. I have a bachelor's degree in that area. I worked in Finance for three years. However, I wanted to work remotely and be more flexible. Therefore I changed my career path. 

I've learned web development, web design, graphic design, and social media marketing all on my own. I worked in those areas for two years as a freelancer. However, since chess has always been my passion, I decided to apply for a job at chess.com. I really liked the company and I love the website and playing here.  I applied for a job and here I am right now! 🙂

How long did you play on the site before you became staff?

I've been playing on chess.com for at least three years. 

What made you get into chess?

Was it a game or sport that you took up at an early age?

My grandfather taught me to play chess when I was a little kid. I was around four years old. I didn't play chess much as a kid because my family didn't want to play with me as I was better than them  (even though right now I feel like I'm extremely bad). I played chess from time to time when I was a kid, mostly with my family--when I forced them to do that.

None of my friends were playing chess and I wasn't signed up to any club. When I was at university, I came back to chess and have been playing since.  I really like chess because it is a game that is truly dependent on your skill--there is no luck involved.   It's all dependent on you. I really love to compete, especially in mind battles with others. That's why I really love chess. I really like playing card games and computer games too! For me, chess is a true 1:1 competition.

Have you played any memorable chess matches?

Have any matches stuck out for you?

I don't think I really have any memorable games so far in my life. There is one game that I played when I was travelling across Ukraine.  I played against a chess hustler in a park. He was playing against other people for money. I've always wanted to try this experience, so when I got the opportunity, I did. Iost so badly. I was surprised by the opening.  I played 1. e4 and the hustler responded with d5.  At that point, my theory was torn apart. I was trying to think of something new but I was destroyed completely and lost some money. Anyways, it was definitely a fun experience!

Do you plan on studying more theory and trying to pursue a title?

Are you just playing for fun?

I think I'm way too bad to try to pursue a title for many years.  But I will obviously play a lot if I have time for it. I love this game even though I am bad at it. I mostly play for fun and I try to learn new openings and strategies on a daily basis. As of right now. I 'm not aiming for any huge achievements in these areas.

Is there anything that you would like the players of the site to know about you? 

What it is like to work on the support end of the site?

Besides chess, I am passionate about sports, especially martial arts. I really love boxing! I watch every big fight that is happening-- especially the heavyweight division matches. I'm also passionate about psychology even though I don't have any education in this background. I also like travelling. I haven't had many chances to travel outside of Europe yet. I've  been outside of Europe a few times only but not as many times as I'd like to. Hopefully once the Corona Virus quarantines end, I'll be able to travel to many places.

I'm also interested in Economics (this is associated with my educational background). I'm always checking out the stock markets and comparing the global economy to that of my local economy in my own country. 

I'm pretty new at chess.com. I joined (as staff) in April 2020. I really enjoy working here. I really like the people. Everyone is friendly, helpful and we share the passion of chess.  It's probably the best place that I've worked for so far.