Hi, I'm Shingo Suzuki, also known as Suzushin.
Chess is one of my hobbies, but recently I've been neglecting actual games. Today, though, I started playing again.
As I did, a thought began to take shape: What would happen if I seriously tried to become a chess grandmaster?
So I'm launching a GM challenge with this article. I know it's an incredibly high bar, but I'd like to find out how far I can go.
Why aim for GM now, when I've been avoiding games?
I call chess a hobby, but I haven't been playing much on Chess.com. I was afraid of losing and couldn't bring myself to press the button to start a game.
Still, playing experience is essential if I want to improve. Today, I finally managed to start playing again. I finished with one win and one loss, leaving me half pleased and half frustrated.
“I'm still so weak.”
“But if I'm going to play, I want to get much stronger!”
While I was thinking that, the idea of becoming a GM gradually began to appeal to me.
Chess has titles such as CM, FM, IM, and GM. GM is at the top, attained by only a small number of leading players.
“It would feel wonderful if I could earn the GM title.”
“It would be incredibly difficult in practice, but perhaps it's worth aiming for?”
Earning a title in chess must bring a real sense of fulfillment. Becoming a GM, in particular, would surely feel incredible! And having the chess skills needed to reach that level would be a huge achievement in itself.
“Wait, maybe this could make an interesting project!”
No time like the present. That's why I'm writing this article right now.
The goal is to find out how far I can go, rather than GM itself
That said, becoming a chess GM is extremely difficult. Typically, players start young, work hard to develop their skills, and even then only some top players earn the title. That's how high the barrier is.
Honestly, I don't know whether I could ever get there. I'm a complete beginner right now, with a very low rating.
But it's all right to set GM as an aspiration, isn't it? I want to see just how far I can progress from the beginner stage.
In practice, I'll track my development step by step. Each time I reach a milestone—rating 500, 1000, 1200, 1600 (the first dan rank in my own system), and so on—I'll write a progress update. It would be wonderful if GM lay somewhere beyond those milestones, but I'll keep it as a distant goal.
Honestly, I may never reach GM.
But I won't know how far I can get unless I try.
My main benchmark is Rapid, and my starting rating is 465
Let me record my current rating. On Chess.com, my Rapid rating is 465—very much a beginner level. The road from here to GM would be a very long one.
Until now, I've kept using Duolingo but avoided actual games. It looks like I'll need to overcome my fear of playing other people.
I chose Chess.com Rapid as my benchmark because it gives me a straightforward measure and seems likely to reflect the improvement I can feel in my play.
My study plan
For now, my main activity will be playing Rapid games on Chess.com. Alongside those games, I'll work on tactics puzzles, opening theory, and game review and analysis. I recently made Caltrilo, a web app that creates tactics puzzles from my own games, so I'd like to make use of that too. I also want to learn from a range of chess books.
I'm still considering whether to pay for chess services. If I'm serious about this goal, paying for tools that help me progress might make sense, but money is tight. I'm not yet sure what I'll do.
This is the plan I have in mind for now, but there may be better approaches. Finding efficient ways to study will be a subject for further exploration. I'd like to experiment and learn as I go.
Updates and what comes next
I plan to report regularly, roughly once a month. Even in months without much progress, I intend to write honestly that I didn't make any particular gains.
I've set myself an incredibly ambitious goal. I hope this doesn't end up as another abandoned project. But by saying it publicly, I'm trying to make it harder to back out and give myself a reason to keep working.
Honestly, I may never become a GM. But I want to do as much as I can!
Will I have improved by my next regular update? I'd be grateful for your support as I find out.