My 2023 year! Some words about me. Thoughts and achievement.

2023 marks my 3rd year on Lichess, a wonderful site for which I do not have enough words to thank the immense work of everyone who helps this wonderful server.

January-November

this year was not bad or good, but like all my years on Lichess, exceptional!

I have experienced many new and interesting things and I think that is the greatest gift.

let's start: I think that unlike other years, I prepared better for the tournaments. prepared mentally and on the board and I think it paid off. I don't like to talk in numbers but I managed to reach 2100 blitz and stay there for a relatively long time 2300 bullet while staying around 2200 so I beat my personal best and reached my best rankings this year. a lot of people were hoping to see me play the elite bullets and I played my first elite arena this year even though I have to tell you that I don't really like the times of this tournament.

what was my progress?

I think where I progressed is that I forgot to think about the rating, and that I took more pleasure and motivation to work. I encourage those who are stuck at a certain level to stop thinking about ranking, but only to look for improvement in your game, you will become a better person on the chessboard.

Did I win any trophies in 2023?

yes, but not just trophies: I confirmed the hopes of those who trusted me and encouraged me. I won a few arenas but it was especially the marathon that was the icing on the cake. I won't dwell on it because you can discover my thoughts on it in my old blogs.

How did I understand that motivation was important?

my history with motivation goes back a long way. I became interested in psychology in 2022, although being an amateur in chess, I found it interesting to study a related field for my pleasure, and I quickly saw a lot of things relating to high-level sport. motivation is the spearhead of the work of an athlete, even an amateur. then I tried to apply what seemed most useful to me, even if it's not just psychology.

SO ?

I told myself that I had to change my habits: before I panicked for the result, I really was stressed for just the result, and inside me I felt a form of frustration and anger in defeat, and excessive joy in the victory. I told myself that it wasn't good, because my emotions took precedence over the game itself, I didn't care about the tactics as long as I didn't win with them. to correct this I started playing massively fast control time games to forget the emotions in the mass of games that follow one another. it worked. then I asked myself the right questions about what my goals were, my objectives in chess: to progress in order to be able to help others with my experience, to be motivated to work well and to take pleasure in the game, in the moment and to be satisfied with all types of results. so when I lose, I feel the same pleasure as when I win because I am so involved, I am fully into the game and the slightest checkmate, the slightest missed tactic serves as material for me to learn. so I always congratulate my opponents when I lose, I feel indebted that they showed me that they knew how to take advantage of my mistakes and therefore that I must always learn.

and what about team tournaments?

I must say that I managed to show that I knew how to progress, having a dual role as leader and being a player in lots of teams, it is difficult to talk about teams in a blog because I don't want that be seen as advertising, I must only say that I have discovered great people and as a player, I have a particular club in my mind which is dear to me, whose exploits in Lichess Bundesliga have been collective, I I try to make my contribution to this building, I was warmly welcomed, and I want to progress.

As a leader, I also took control of my leader position and I tried to rebuild my group, I know that I am not perfect, but the greatest gift was all of our work around a passion common for a club and for its history.

my thanks to everyone, as a player and leader!!

I am “known” for my good vibes, how do I define that?

I must say that I have always wanted to encourage others, and the efforts of my friends and teammates count more than mine. It's difficult to define good vibes but know that it must be sincere encouragement or consolation, I really feel it, perhaps thanks to my experience. I find that depression is a huge problem in the world of sport, especially about goals and results. Since i never experienced depression (even in the worst situation), I try to show the good things and say that " no, it's not all bad, there are some very good things too." Playing chess is hard enough, so why not honestly give a well-deserved kudos to someone who is involved and who likes the game?

there is also the public side!

yes, I came back to the forums in the summer and started blogging in August, in fact I hated the forums for a long time because I found them useless because I had to concentrate on chess and my results. the day I understood that motivation is important, I told myself that I was selfish, and that I could correct that: at the beginning I tried to only give good vibes, but the forums are so communicative and funny that I try to be humorous, a little absurd and tongue-in-cheek, but my goal is only to make fun of what the forum itself is and to tease the "really funny" forumers. Blogs came in the same spirit as forums, sharing and helping others. I never seek success, I disgust success, because I am a discreet person who finds that others do better than me, and that I just try to share a point of view. not all my blogs are perfect but I'm not ashamed of anything, I write each blog with the same passion and I try to improve

why don't I play classic anymore?

I find that online chess is very suitable as a complement to Over the Board chess, however, I no longer play classic chess (for the moment), because I am also someone who likes the challenge and I am above all someone who wants to help others. if there is an interesting tournament that I have time for, I will be delighted.

Are there also records?

Yeah! probably the thing I like to talk about the most! I reached and exceeded 50,000 games in August and 50,000 tournament points at the beginning of October! I would say that I like playing a lot because it gives me daily training, it's also a pleasure because I like the competitive dimension of tournaments, it always reminds me that when I arrived on Lichess in 2020, I felt honored to have the opportunity to face so many potential opponents of all levels. Today I must say that it is especially the adrenaline of important tournaments such as the Bundesliga, the Marathon or the Shield that thrills me and encourages me to give the best of myself!

my best memory of this year?

wow, it's hard to say because there were so many! On an individual level, the marathon and my blogs are my greatest achievements. on a collective level, everything I was able to play and help, as a leader and a player.

my best victory?

I would say that emotionally It was awesome to play against (@)ARM_55555, it was at the August marathon, I had been playing for 8 hours straight and I had a solid top100, I knew I wasn't going to maintain it but as long as I was still able to think correctly I took advantage of it! I was paired with him and I knew he had had very good results in the past, there were around a hundred spectators so I took my chance and I didn't Berserk back... voluntarily. I wanted to have the maximum chance to get the trophy and I told myself that the opportunity was too good. it was only after beating him that I said to myself "why didn't I take the Berserk back!" I felt embarrassed about this victory, but looking back I tell myself that it's a beautiful memory because I always played honestly and since Berserk is only an option, he chose to Berserk, I could accept or refuse. of course I may have a hundred wonderful games in stock but I chose my most prestigious victory because the marathon remains unforgettable for me!

the thing I enjoyed doing the most?

my blogs about motivation, the blog on Sonja Graf and the blog with (@)honey0x!

the blog on Sonja Graf took me time to research and find sources, my style at the time was not ideal and I modified the blog for the first time in September and I was satisfied with the result! I plan to continue my series and do a blog on Tarrasch or Steinnitz, and one on Ruy Lopez.

with honey0x, it was great! I saw that she was doing studies and books on Bee defense, I found her involvement in chess exceptional and I also wanted to contribute my piece to the building. she is a VERY, VERY kind person, and it is always a pleasure to play or discuss chess with her! the blog took me a few days and I didn't know what she would think of the result... And she was very satisfied of the blog!
I'm also thinking of starting blogs again with a second person, "guest" or "co-writer" it's very constructive and interesting, the second person can help you with a complementary or different opinion and the result is often great! It was very cool!

funniest thing?

annoy with my absurd humor (@)mrpushwood!

What was the best thing I learned?

to be more humble, I think I achieved this goal after the summer marathon!

what do I regret?

not having spent much time on the Lichess broadcast after the Liren-Nepo world championship, I had lost my interest in this type of match or event. I wanted to start playing Over the board and find a friendlier, funnier spirit during the game, like on Lichess!

the best Lichess upgrade of the year in my opinion ?

flair and chess insight!

the thing I play the most regularly?

the hourly bullet and the Bundesliga! All the funniest people on Lichess are there, in the hourly, special dedication to all my chat and chessboard friends with whom I laugh and have a lot of fun! the Bundesliga because I feel with responsibilities, and there is the weekly match aspect, in addition, there is the family atmosphere of the club, in particular the good humor of our leader, the president of the club and everyone my teammates!

my 2024 goals?

someone challenged me to reach 2200 blitz... ok! I'll try!

continue to write blogs, organize events.
I want to learn coding and hope I can thank Lichess by being able to help!

continue to play a lot and share my experiences, I'm not someone with a lot of skills, but I think I can help some people to love chess and find their way, through motivation and encouragement! maybe do a 2nd marathon for 24 hours, I don't really see the point in doing it again, EXCEPT for the FUN and MADNESS!
win team and individual tournaments, and maybe reach 75,000 games and tournament points!

here it is, a little summary of what I did from January to November, yeah, a little weird but I don't like to do a chronological side, so I did that as a question and answer. I hope you achieve your goals, be motivated, stay safe and see you soon!