In recent weeks, I've seen my amount of time spent playing chess has increased.
I remember when I first downloaded the lichess app and joined this community in June.
Since then I've played quite a number of games, lost quite a number, drew a few and won nicely.
Almost all my games have been in Rapid. Building myself up in the game and trying to be consistent in my victories.
Although without a doubt I've lost a few. Well with 71 losses, I've lost a lot😂.
Yet I've also won nicely. 61, and if you add the stalemates, that's 79 games I didn't lose.
(It's called positive thinking gif)
Last month was when I played the most though, and also when I had the most wins. With streaks of up to six or seven games before an opponent out skills me or gets a lucky break.
The game above is when you call a mixture of the two. Till now I don't know what I was doing that allowed the queen to take up position behind my forces.
I had tried trapping her though but she had already gotten into position and I'd all but forgotten about her knight.
It was a game well won and I just took the defeat as every seasoned duelist would.
My next win was something glorious.
I plotted the checkmate from afar and took my time getting there. Some may call me heinous for exploiting a clearly inexperienced chess player but war is war.
He learned quite a valuable lesson and offered for a rematch, which I accepted and handed his ass to him a second time.
Then there were the times when I had to struggle or watch someone struggle for a stalemate.
Dancing between attackers and planning that one step ahead. A stalemate is the hardest thing to do, for you can't attack nor defend, just run away till your opponents close in on themselves.
As you saw from above, this happens jist a few times in my matches. Most of the times they are accidental and unprecedented. Times when I've already decided I've won and rushed in for the kill, or times when I've decided I've lost and allowed myself to be killed.
It's just a few times, like this one below that I decided that I wouldn't lose. Even if I wouldn't win, I wouldn't lose!
In the midst of battle, I've realized that I've seen almost all that's left to see on the 10 minutes time fram, I've left the realm of the rapid 🐇
The learning shows are over and now it's time to jump into blitz 🔥.
And jump I did, with my first match ending in a loss😂😂
I'd like to think I gave him a hard time of it but I can't be so certain as his checkmate of a knight and rook was kind of cool.
I know that this community has it's tournaments in 3 minutes blitz... Still I'm quite aways farther from that level.
Slowly I'll polish my skills, and come usurp the throne and collect the crown from whomever head has it ♟️✨
Image is a screenshot from my Lichess account, Gifs are gotten from the Lichess app.
My Instagram page.
