My Journey, How Far Will It Take Me?
I remember opening this ID on November 27th, 3 years ago. Was it a day? Was it a night? I exactly can’t remember this part. But I felt kind of dumb and ignorant because I still didn’t know how to play the game. I saw my friends becoming friends with each other, talking about the blunders they make, and the so-called “poison pawn” they were arguing about, which made me nervous and inferior. It was a feeling you don’t want to feel, it comes directly from the deepest part of the brain where the hormones themselves feel so upset and gloomy to run through the synapses.
…and with this all in my head, I started playing on chess.com. In the beginning, I didn’t like the interface, the UI, and the greenish/wood-ish boards of it, I didn’t like the sounds of the pieces at all. I was afraid of losing games and ratings, that is why I didn’t play much. So what’s the ID for? I would visit the site twice a week. Solve some puzzles, want to solve more but it shows I have to upgrade. Thus I would lose the motivation and stop visiting the site for the next 4-5 days.
It was one fine weekend I decided to travel to every corner of the site and search for myself what makes millions of users play day and night. I want to see it for myself. Why chess.com is so popular and what makes the experience so unique?
Well, the answer was pretty simple. Chess.com has seven sections :
Among them, my favorite is News > Articles!
You might know this phrase used by the title character in the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare- Hamlet suggests that human knowledge is limited:
“There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
I would say the same, but differently. There are more things in heaven and Earth, and all the interesting things you can find on chess.com > News > Articles, or Chess.com > Social > Blogs!
Anyway. My curiosity regarding chess.com takes a huge turn from here. I remember getting so fascinated by the amazing articles written by Gserper and many more talented artists! (Yes, they are artists to me, not just the writer!)
I started digging more and I discovered that there’s a segment called Blogs. Here, people from all over the world post what they think about the game and share many more unique perspectives! And the most precious thing about it is that if your blog is helping a lot of people and if the blog maintains a certain standard- you can apply for the chess.com top blogger status, and you might get it like me!
Let me tell you this portion of my story!
I speak and write in Bengali, which is my mother tongue. In my community, my chess enthusiasm and write-ups are appreciated sometimes. As soon as I discovered this blog thing, I immediately started posting here, that was for a couple of reasons:
- If you write well, your blogs can reach thousands of people.
- If your contents are good, the amount of appreciation is huge.
- If your designs/methods are well put, you will get a dedicated audience.
I started posting by maintaining a certain standard. After some months, I applied for the top blogger status without any expectations. But to my surprise, they accepted my application and entitled me with the status! I was utterly speechless. What I am gonna do now? Is this a new responsibility? Do I have to write more? What does this mean?
There were so many questions. I know already you are laughing at me, why am I so excited over this silly matter? No, dear reader. I am excited because of the recognition. The title might mean nothing to others but to me- it is AMAZINGGGG! I felt like somewhat important for the first time in my life!
I tried to produce good blogs, memes, etc. I tried to make it funnier. I am trying to be even better than before. It’s all a process of execution and learning. After a couple of months, I got busy with my study and job. I completed my undergrad, made a couple of films, and wrote a paper. In the meantime, I didn’t forget to visit my dear friend chess.com. Solved puzzles and again got a notice to upgrade. A good old friend who didn’t forget to do his regular chores! I smile and move to the other section.
This is my story till now.
But it got pretty serious after some time when I noticed there was a post called social media manager. I applied immediately because the requirements they say one has to convey match me! Chess.com called for an interview but later they said- they have got their candidate for the post. This made me kind of sad because I really wanted to be a part of chess.com. But it also inspired me to contribute even more. I have got what I wanted, Top Blogger Status, it’s enough for me to move on!
There’s a little more to add to the story. I applied again but for a different role. This time it’s called the Fair Play Proctor. I got a call again for the interview and after two sittings- finally, I am a part of chess.com!!
I can’t express how I am feeling, it is impossible to describe. I have written about it enough in my language but in English? I have no words in my vocal cord. Rather it is resonating with a lot of overwhelming particles of words.
Wish me luck, will you?
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