Hi! Im Anders and I’ve been an avid chess player for pretty much my whole life.
My earliest chess-related memory was being invited to compete in a little tournament for pre-schoolers but being too afraid to enter!
Fast forward about 10 years and I was one of the top 3 competitors in Sweden for my age group with a bedroom full of trophies from regional tournaments. I even got to represent my country in the Nordic Championship Team League for schools in Denmark.
Then I turned 18... Surprisingly there were more interesting things to pursue than chess at the time! Though I never stopped playing, I didn’t actively try to improve for at least another 10 years. Alas, my rating got stuck on the dreaded 1700-1800 FIDE plateau.
Since getting back on the horse (or knight should I say), I’ve managed to improve significantly and I’ve recently been working hard on my game as an adult chess improver alongside fellow #chesspunks patzers improvers. With the recent pandemic-fueled chess boom bringing in new players eager to learn, I decided to pick up coaching again.
I've also taken lessons from a couple of coaches. Currently working with GM Arturs Nieksans. Check out his lichess coaching profile for more information.
To get to the next level I'm certain I need to get better at calculation. Understanding positional pawn sacrifices and temporarily bad pieces is also something I'm working on at the moment. I'm guilty of spending too much time on openings like most of us.