Up until this year, whenever someone asked me how I balanced school and chess, I gave a principally correct answer (school first, try to study chess every day, etc.), but I never really understood the question. Middle school and even freshman-year coursework barely required time outside of school, after all—still lots…
It was a couple of weeks before the OSCF team championships. I was just minding my business when suddenly a unique idea popped up in my head: What if my little brother Neev and I hosted practice and game analysis sessions to help our 2 favorite schools, Jacob Wismer and Stoller…
Team chess events are some of the most fun and memorable experiences I have. The team events aren't just about winning or losing. That is not the main purpose of these types of tournaments. I believe that the purpose of team tournaments is to have fun and encourage all of your…
I began organizing tournaments, quads in particular, one month ago. So far Puddletown Chess has held two quads. There are things I learned and things I should learn. The surprising lesson as organizers was that the pizza parlor was working out as a place to hold tournaments. A pizza parlor is…
"Are you sure that you're supposed to sit there?" Well, of course. I thought. "I'm not sure. Let me check." I said. I walked over to the pairing board, and sure enough, I had sat... in the wrong place? It was the sixth round of the North American Youth Chess Championship, a…
Hi this is Ishaan back with another blog post. I was thrilled to be invited to play in the Oregon Closed Challengers this year. I will share my 4-day saga of the first 6 rounds of the tournament, followed by an eventful last round. In the 1st game, I won a…