On Chess: Living the dream and reality of a professional chess player

Imagine waking up in the morning, having your favorite breakfast with some sunny side up eggs or an omelet accompanied by a piece of toast, drinking some orange juice and sipping an aromatic coffee or a tea, being able to read the news, check out Instagram on the 10th floor of your hotel room and then watching the sun rise. Taking your time to plan your day to take a long walk, visit museums, play some chess ... this is where your thoughts stop.

“I am here to win!” you tell yourself while letting go of the idea of reading a good book, going to a museum or a concert, and so much more fun you can imagine. This is when chess becomes your job.

Learning to play chess at a young age has been a blessing, but it did come with many personal challenges. Many envision the life of a chess player to be all glamour and fun if they have seen the popular Netflix show, The Queen’s Gambit. However, a chess player’s life encompasses serious training, study, time and dedication. The amount of energy and work hours spent to prepare during the event sometimes exceeds the number of hours of actual daily play.

Although a chess player is able to enjoy sipping the morning coffee in different locations around the world, the focus and nerves put into that one event can be overwhelming at times. Every half a point matters, and every opening choice or wrong strategy could make or break an event for a player.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/2022-02-04/on-chess-living-the-dream-and-reality-of-a-professional-chess-player