Road to 1800 day 1

January 20th Day 1
My name is JM and my goal is simple: hit 1800 in chess on chess.com (a number that suggests strength but by no means mastery) by March 15th. 1800 characters each day. Not more, not less. 100 days to 1800. Post it by 7pm each day. No days off writing. Write better than I play. If I fail in either task so be it as long as I put in a damned good effort. The start date is imperfect but it must be. 2024 isn’t around the corner.
1800 has been an elusive number for me. It was a goal from last year. I failed. For the past year the number has felt like a place I could reach if I caught lightning in a bottle and rode a perfect mix of caffeine, focus, luck and inspiration. Maybe with the right music, good posture and better food in my belly-- the closest I came was 1722 in July of last year. I’m starting now from the early 1600s now.
I don’t suspect that when I hit the number I’ll be a happier person. It is a goal I set for myself because I believe discipline is a practice. Everything can be improved. I hope to improve at learning through this process and that the journey allows me to use muscles and skills that have been out of practice. Also, I have a point to prove.
I love chess because everything is in the open. There are no surprises. 16 pieces for both sides every game. 8 pawns. 8 others. Each piece starts in the same position. Chess is entirely controlled. If I get better my score should improve. In the end, I am the only variable.
I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t get it but improving my King-pawn endgames will not make the world a better place. I hope to find a white whale that through chasing I can make things the smallest bit better. No matter what happens, at the end I’ll have a drink, play my music and laugh at what was. This life is far too short to not enjoy music and a nice drink.
Onto what is now. I’m studying the game from the back first. Looking at the sparest positions and building back from the end. Alongside this, I’m studying my games as I play them and later comparing my analysis to a computer’s and studying master games. I have doubts if I’ll make it but no doubt that I’ll give it all a good swing. We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there!
Godspeed--JM