Once it gets freezing out, I end up focusing on other things. Lately, I’ve been playing a bunch of online chess (nerdy, I know), which has experienced pretty massive growth due to the current world situation. On the bright side, I have rediscovered a passion for the game and have been working on developing new strategies.

Board games have always been an interest of mine, especially in the winter. Recently I have enjoyed playing some new games as a buddy of mine works for a game distributer in town. I really like a game called “Photosynthesis” but that works better for multiple players, which is difficult to coordinate at the moment.

Chess has been nice because I can quickly log on to a site with a strong engine for analysis like Chess.com and play for a few hours with anyone in the world. I’m pretty impressed by the community, it reminds me a lot of the disc golf community in many ways. Everyone is competitive and the bar to advance is high due to the skill levels involved. It seems like computers have revolutionized the way people learn chess and there are many more talented players now then there were when I first started.

My first chess match was in elementary school, around 4th grade. I had a buddy David Bartholomew, who’s brother John Bartholomew was already famous in Minnesota for being an IM (International Master) at competitive chess. Through proximity, I got to know basic chess strategy pretty well and even competed at some local tournaments.

Anyways, I fell out of chess for a few years before playing a lot in college, especially when I was living in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands around 2011. I was taking courses that involved a lot of mathematical modeling, and my nerdy classmates and I would play chess instead of doing math homework. Some of my best memories of that time are hanging out, listening to Nicolas Jaar, and playing a bunch of chess.

These days, I discovered that as with most hobbies, the tournament scene has grown with players like Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura actively streaming games on Twitch and Youtube. There is in general a lot of great chess content out there, like the show The Queen’s Gambit which has great reviews. I have yet to check it out, but am assuming it’ll be great!

It’s always been wild to me that young kids can reach the top rating (Grand Master) and continue to play throughout their lifetime at a high-level. Garry Kasparov is a prime example of this. Somebody like Nikko Locastro in the disc golf world, reminds me of that type of mindset. A perpetual competitor, in a sport that does not actively burn out their players, can last a lifetime!

If you’re looking for something to do, I recommend playing some chess! I’m playing everyday, so feel free to add me as a friend and play against me here. I’m not the best player, but have fun doing it and am always looking for some friendly competition. Currently, I’ve been streaming a lot of GM Hikaru on Twitch, or otherwise watching the 2020 Speed Chess Championships in which all of the big names are playing.

While taking a break from disc golf for the next few months, I look forward to playing more chess. I plan to share other activities other than just frisbee-related things on the blog, so hopefully folks remain interested. Happy Sunday everyone!