Back in August 2022, after participating in a couple of over-the-board tournaments, my rating on chess.com started to drop. In September, I hit rock-bottom even though I was studying openings and endgames. I was suddenly rated 1425, which didn’t make sense at all. That was a big drop from 1646, and it drove me crazy. I tried to get back up but couldn’t. And so, I struggled for a couple of months.

Today, however, I’m back in the 1600s. Finally! And it’s all thanks to crazy openings like the Englund Gambit, the Latvian Gambit, and the King’s Gambit. It’s unbelievable, I know, but I’m getting very decent results with them.

I wonder what happens if I play them in actual over-the-board tournaments. Will my opponents have answers to my strange openings? I don’t know…

At my level, it’s worth a shot, I think. Besides, I’m enjoying playing the more chaotic openings more than the safe and sound ones. So why take chess too seriously? It’s just a hobby, after all. And maybe it’s better for me to master the crazy openings…

** Here’s the game that put me in the 1600s again. Funny enough, it was an easy win.