Chess is one of the few sports where a game can end in a draw — a result that carries its own strategic and psychological weight. In most sports, there’s

I was stuck around 2470–2500 for almost five years. It was a painful phase where it felt like nothing was moving, even after I became a grandmaster. I kept making

In 2018, I went on a two-month trip in search of my final GM norm. I played six to seven tournaments in a row, fully believing that I would get

Recently, I played what I can only describe as a horrible game—full of inaccuracies, poor decisions, and missed chances. Thankfully, I didn’t lose. But more importantly, I learned a lot

In my previous post, I shared a set of positions from a game that was far from my best—but full of practical lessons. If you haven’t seen that post yet,

Once upon a time at the Sabarmati Ashram, a mother brought her son to meet Mahatma Gandhi. There were hundreds of people in line, all waiting for a chance to

I want to succeed. So do most chess players I know. But “success” can mean different things: From what I’ve seen, most professionals are focused on the first and third:

As you might know, I wrote an article on how to deal with time pressure in chess. What I didn’t cover in that article came back to haunt me in

Everyone wants to improve at something. This desire has no ceiling. It’s true that, at times, the urge to boost our rating or win tournaments overshadows the pure intention to

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “If only I were younger, maybe I could’ve chased my dreams…”? I never really bought into that idea — and I still don’t. Age