I am not the most naturally gifted chess player. This game does not come as easy to me as it does players like the gang of gifted youngsters I’m forced to play in every tournament. When I was their age, I was rated around 1000 and showed little chess understanding. I had played only in a few tournaments as a kid and didn’t start playing chess seriously until 2009 when I was 25, yet somehow I was able to work hard and achieve a 2200 rating.