Life as a Professional Chess Player (A short, but fun endeavor!)

My father taught me the rules of chess when I was 4, and although chess was a fun pastime, I never thought much about competing aside from a small handful of tournaments. However, when I started teaching chess in the Bay Area in 2016, I decided to try my hand at playing and studying chess seriously. I started by playing in local tournaments, but soon found myself traveling to play larger events like the National Open in Las Vegas, and the World Open in Philadelphia.

I raised my USCF rating from 1800 to 2360 in three years, earning the National Master title, and my highest FIDE rating was 2280, ranking me somewhere in the top 200 in the United States.

My biggest accomplishment was placing 3rd in the California Chess State Championship in 2018, ahead of several Grandmasters and International Masters.

For those interested in chess, I would describe my style as a blend between tactical and positional. I played 1. d4 almost exclusively, and my favorite opening was the white side of the Fianchetto Variation against the King’s Indian.

Below I have selected a few of my most memorable games - I’ll add more when time permits.