Chess

I grew up playing competitive chess for over 10 years. By the time I graduated high school, I was the #1 ranked player in Maryland for my age group, with a USCF rating north of 2000.

I met Magnus Carlsen, five-time world chess champion and the greatest player of our era, in 2014. I had the opportunity to play a blitz game against him — an encounter that ignited my love for the game and pushed me to keep competing seriously in the years that followed.

As fate would have it, I'd later end up working for him, teaching at the Silver Knights Chess Academy (then known as the Magnus Chess Academy) throughout high school. I spent my time there working with students across the DMV, teaching at elementary schools and directing scholastic tournaments. At the 2023 National Championships in Baltimore, MD, I was the highest-ranked coach on the team.

I no longer play competitively, but I took immense pride in my OTB opening preparation. With the black pieces, I was a lifelong Caro-Kann fanatic and a Semi-Slav connoisseur. With the white pieces, I was biased to Catalan systems and positional Queen's Gambit lines. I enjoyed playing offbeat lines and novelties, throwing opponents into uncharted waters.